LEAPS-MPS: Exploration and Development of Transition Metal Complexes and Their Application in Undergraduate Laboratory Settings

In this project, managed by the Chemistry Division and co-funded by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Professor Joan Roque-Peña, and her undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey will be exploring and developing new catalysts for small molecule transformations as well as developing experiments to teach novel concepts in undergraduate chemistry laboratories. This project has the potential to advance the development of air-stable catalysts that could be used in industrial applications. This project will expand the research infrastructure at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, a Hispanic Serving Institution located in Puerto Rico, which will allow Professor Roque-Peña to train Hispanic undergraduate students in inorganic and organometallic chemistry and chemical education research methods. Professor Roque-Peña and her undergraduate students aim to synthesize new iridium complexes that will be studied for small molecule activation. They will also explore the possibility of substituting iridium, which is an expensive heavy metal, with cobalt, which is a cheaper and environmentally safer solution. They will employ computational methods to? They will then be able to synthesize new and safer complexes. Additionally, Professor Roque-Peña will be developing new integrated experiments for the inorganic chemistry laboratory and will use her research findings to inform the development of future experiments. This research project will expand the research infrastructure at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, expose students to new chemistry concepts that they have not explored in the past, and allow Hispanic students to learn common techniques and methods in inorganic and organometallic chemistry as well as chemical education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.