Research Projects

Aromatic tetrapyrroles have been studied for their potential applications in biological, chemical, and physical fields. However, antiaromatic porphyrinoids, such as norcorrole (NCs), have not been properly utilized due to their planarity and unique redox characteristics. The discovery of a synthetic strategy for the isolation of NCs as a Ni complex has sparked interest in these porphyrinoid. The proposed proposal aims to explore the fundamental coordination chemistry of these porphyrinoids through proper design, synthesis, characterization, and understanding of how metal ions and substitutions can stabilize novel metalated NCs. The study also aims to explore their electrochemical properties to correlate the influence of modifications on NC frameworks with the redox potentials of metalated NCs. Lastly, the proposal aims to use antiaromatic NCs as electrocatalysts for activating small molecules for alternative energy purposes. The mechanism of activation will be studied using in situ spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. The analysis and quantification of catalytic products will help determine the efficacy of the generated catalysts based on antiaromatic NCs.