USU Chemists Challenge Long-held Beliefs about Metallic Compounds

Utah State University chemists are at the forefront of a discussion that’s causing scientists to shift their ideas about the very nature of inorganic compounds.

USU chemistry professor Alexander Boldyrev, along with doctoral students Dmitry Zubarev and Boris Averkiev, are investigating chemical bonding properties of metallic systems. The team asserts that characteristics believed to apply only to organic compounds can be extended to some metallic compounds. It’s an idea that, until recently, was thought to be impossible.

 

“Our studies make people argue with us constantly for proving our point of view,” Zubarev says. “What we’re discovering about certain metals is unexpected.”

 

The USU researchers published their findings in a recent issue of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics and the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Physical Chemistry. Next month, Boldyrev presents to peers at the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting in New Orleans.

 

To understand the Aggie team’s research requires a brief history lesson. Since the 19th century, chemists have used the term “aromaticity” to describe the chemical bonding properties of organic compounds. The term is a bit misreading to the lay person, as the concept has little to do with the “aroma” associated with the varied compounds.

 

In a nutshell, aromaticity refers to a chemical property in which atoms bond in rings to form stable organic compounds. By developing chemical-bonding models capable of explaining and predicting the structures of metallic clusters, the USU researchers are revealing that metals, too, exhibit aromaticity.

 

“It’s a big step,” Boldyrev says. “What we’re discovering is that metal systems have properties that allow them to bond in ways that mimic organic materials.”

 

Transition metal clusters possess “delta-aromaticity” – a unique type of delocalized bonding found exclusively in transition metal systems. Ascertaining the existence of this type of bonding is important, he says, as it could improve scientists’ understanding of the nature of catalytic activity and lead to the design of new catalysts.

 

“The development of chemical bonding models that display this process could have a significant impact on rational design of nanocatalysts, nanomaterials with tailored properties, nano-scale electronic devices and more,” Boldyrev says. “That’s our goal.”

 

 

 

 

Contact: Alexander Boldyrev (435) 797-1630, a.i.boldyrev@aggiemail.usu.edu
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto (435) 797-3517, maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu