Person:

Campbell, Michael Glenn

One-dimensional metal wires are valuable materials because of their optical and electronic anisotropy, and they have potential utility in devices such as photovoltaic cells and molecular sensors. However, despite more than a century of research, only a few examples exist of well-defined one-dimensional (1D) metal wires that allow for the rational variation of conductivity. Herein we describe the first examples of 1D molecular wires supported by Pd–Pd bonds, the thin-film conductive properties of which can be altered by controlled molecular changes. Wires based on Pd(III) give semiconducting films with a modifiable bandgap, whereas wires based on Pd(2.5) give films that display metallic conductivity above 200 K: a metallic state has not been reported previously for any polymer composed of 1D metal wires. The wires are infinite in the solid state and maintain 1D structures in solution with lengths of up to 750 nm. Solution stability enables thin film coating, a requisite for device fabrication using molecular wires.

Nanostructured materials based on one-dimensional (1D) metal wires are of potential utility; however, to date, there is a lack of synthetic methods that allow for variation of structure and therefore properties. Here we report the use of molecular control elements to alter the solid-state structures of 1D palladium wires, including Pd–Pd bond distances and the porosity of the supramolecular framework.

A practical, palladium-catalyzed synthesis of aryl fluorides from arylboronic acid derivatives is presented. The reaction is operationally simple and amenable to multigram-scale synthesis. Evaluation of the reaction mechanism suggests a single-electron-transfer pathway, involving a Pd(III) intermediate that has been isolated and characterized.

Palladium is one of the most common and versatile transition metals used in modern organometallic chemistry. The chemistry of palladium in its 0, +II, and +IV oxidation states is well-known; by comparison, the chemistry of palladium in its +III oxidation state is in its infancy. The work in this thesis involves the study of previously unknown Pd(III) complexes, including applications in materials chemistry and catalysis.