The University of Texas at Arlingon

Frederick MacDonnell     
Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry

Professor, Associate Department Chair 

B.S. The University of Vermont (1986)

M.S. Northwestern University (1988)

Ph.D. Northwestern University (1993)

Damon Runyon - Walter Winchell Postdoctoral Fellow,  Harvard University (1992-1994)

                              MacDonnell Group Home Page
      

 

Phone: 817-272-2972    FAX: 817-272-3808     E-mail: macdonn@uta.edu     Office: 302 CRB     Personal Page

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS  

The MacDonnell lab is interested in developing new molecular catalysts and materials with interesting optical, photochemical, electrochemical, stereochemical and bioactive properties.  In particular, we have been heavily involved in the synthesis and characterization of new ruthenium-polypyridyl complexes containing unusual redox and photoactive ligands.  The complexes exhibit a wide range of behaviors that makes them potential useful in areas as diverse as solar-energy harvesting, chiral separations and photocatalysis. In order to study these complexes we rely on a broad range of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques including: electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, photochemistry, crystallography, electron paramagnetic resonance, NMR and magnetic susceptibility.

 

Three currently emphasized areas of research in the lab are:

• Solar-Energy Conversion: New Photocatalysts for Driving Multi-Electron Processes
• Novel Cancer Therapies using DNA-Binding Chiral Coordination Complexes
• Chiral Coordination Complexes as A Basis for Chiral Separations Technology

 

Recent Publications:

K. L. Wouters, N. R. de Tacconi, R. Konduri, R. O. Lezna and F. M. MacDonnell, "Driving Multi-Electron Reactions with Photons: Dinuclear Ruthenium Complexes Capable of Stepwise and Concerted Multi-Electron Reduction," Photosynth. Res. J., 2006, 87(1), 41-55.

Claudio Chiorboli, Sandro Fracasso, Marcella Ravaglia, Franco Scandola, Sebastiano Campagna, Kelly L. Wouters, Rama Konduri and Frederick M. MacDonnell, "Primary Photoinduced Processes in Bimetallic Dyads with Extended Aromatic Bridges. Tetraazatetrapyridopentacene Complexes of Ruthenium(II) and Osmium(II)," Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44(23),  8368-8378.

Norma R. de Tacconi, Reynaldo O. Lenza, Rama Konduri, Krishnan Rajeshwar and Frederick M. MacDonnell, "Influence of pH on the Electrochemical and Photochemical Reduction of a Dinuclear Ruthenium Complex, [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)2]Cl4, in Aqueous Media," Chem. Eur. J., 2005, 11, 4327-4339.

R. Konduri, N. R. de Tacconi, K. Rajeshwar and F. M. MacDonnell, "Multi-Electron Photoreduction of a Bridged Ruthenium Dimer, [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)2][PF6]4: Aqueous Reactivity and Chemical and Spectroelectrochemical Identification of the Photoproducts," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 11621-11629.

F. M. MacDonnell, M.-J. Kim, K. L. Wouters and R. Konduri, "Hierarchical Structure in Assemblies of Ruthenium Trisdiimine Complexes: A Biomimetic Approach Utilizing Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary Structural Elements," Coord. Chem. Rev. 2003, 242, 47-58.

C. Chiorboli, S. Fracasso, F. Scandola, S. Campagna, S. Serroni, R. Konduri and F. M. MacDonnell, "Primary Processes in Photoinduced Multielectron Storage Systems. A Dinuclear Ruthenium(II) Species Featuring a Charge-Separated State with a Lifetime of 1.3 ms," Chem. Comm. 2003, 1658-1659.

W. P. Kirk, K. L. Wouters, N. A. Basit, F. M. MacDonnell, M. Tao and K. P. Clark, “Electrical and Optical Effects in Molecular Nanoscopically-Sized Building Blocks,” Physica E. 2003, 19, 126-132.

D. T. Rosa, R. A. Reynolds III, S. M. Malinak, D. Coucouvanis, M. Ali, F. M. MacDonnell, “Useful Reagents and Ligands. 4,5-Diaminocatechol: A Useful Building Block in Synthesis of Multimetallic Complexes,” Inorganic Syntheses 2002, 33, 112-119.

M.-J. Kim, R. Konduri, H. Ye, F. M. MacDonnell, F. Puntoriero, S. Serroni, S. Campagna, T. Holder, G. Kinsel and K. Rajeshwar, “Dinuclear Ru(II) Polypyridyl Complexes Containing Large, Redox-Active, Aromatic Bridging Ligands. Synthesis, Characterization and Intramolecular Quenching of MLCT Excited States,” Inorg. Chem. 2002, 41, 2471-2476.

R. Konduri, H. Ye, F. M. MacDonnell. S. Serroni, S. Campagna, and K. Rajeshwar, “New Ruthenium Photocatalysts Capable of Reversibly Storing Up to Four Electrons in a Single Acceptor Ligand: A Step Closer to Artificial Photosynthesis,” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 3185.

 

 

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas 76019-0065, USA
Phone: 817-272-3171 | Fax: 817-272-3808
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