| A
strong bond is a great asset in a marriage or investment portfolio.
But in a chemistry laboratory, it’s a different story.
Strong bonds in a molecule are a challenge for chemists because
they are notoriously difficult to alter. Some methods are so harsh
that other bonds in the molecule, often weaker ones, are broken
too. What is needed is a way to break selected bonds but not others,
enabling chemists to then form new bonds and create new compounds.
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Karen
Goldberg (front row, center) with UW faculty and students
working on Center projects. These include (clockwise from
back left) Michael Heinekey, Ernest Davidson, Andrew Pawlikowski,
Wes Borden, James Mayer, Bridget Williams, Goldberg, Susan
Klock, and Mira Kanzelberger. |
To address this challenge,
Karen Goldberg, professor in the UW
Department of Chemistry, is leading a new national research
center at the University of Washington: the Center for Activation
and Transformation of Strong Bonds. The center is one of three chemical
bonding centers established by the National Science Foundation as
a means of seeking solutions to major problems in chemistry. Each
center will receive $1.5 million for the first three years and may
receive $2 million to $3 million a year for up to five more years,
with the potential for further renewal.
What sorts of chemicals and compounds might this research involve?
One important molecule of interest to the center is methane. Methane,
the major component in natural gas, is abundant but often found
in remote places and difficult to transport. Transformed into liquid
fuels like methanol, it is more easily transported, but a strong
chemical bond—in this case, a carbon-hydrogen bond—makes
such a transformation difficult. “It currently requires a
big facility and a substantial amount of energy to do this,”
says Goldberg, “so a lot of methane gas in isolated places
currently can’t be used.”
With the establishment of the Center, scientists can tackle such
problems collaboratively and share their expertise. Goldberg is
joined by four other UW researchers as well as scientists from six
other institutions.
“Our projects will all be collaborative, with two or more
investigators involved with each project,” says Goldberg,
who envisions frequent communication across institutions though
bi-monthly Internet videoconferences.
Looking ahead, Goldberg believes that finding ways to transform
strong chemical bonds could enable scientists to use inexpensive,
readily available, and less hazardous raw materials to make new
and existing products with fewer and less harmful byproducts. The
same processes also might be useful for, among other things, synthesizing
pharmaceuticals, plastics, and materials for electronics.
“If we get some of this to really work, it could reap substantial
benefits for the consumer,” says Goldberg. “It’s
very much a long-term project, but with a group of us working together,
this is a great opportunity to make real progress.”
[Autumn 2004 - Table of Contents]
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