James Phillips
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, WI·Chemistry
The distances between atoms in a molecule usually stay the same whether the substance is a gas, a liquid or a solid. Some molecular complexes, however, can change shape dramatically when their surroundings change.
- Fields
Chemistry
Physics
- Topics
physical chemistry
molecular complexes
coordinate bonding
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2027
What they work on
- Measure how the structures of H3N–SO2 and its methylated analogs change in argon, neon and nitrogen cryogenic matrices, using matrix-isolation infrared spectroscopy.
- Characterize pyridine–SO2 and fluoropyridine–SO2 complexes and the analogous SO3 complexes by matrix-IR and UV spectroscopy to track environment-driven structural shifts.
- Test, with quantum-chemical calculations, whether repulsive forces from bonds around the central sulfur atom resist further coordination and cause extreme structural change.
More about the research
These complexes are loose pairings of two otherwise stable molecules. How general this behavior is, and what drives it, is not well understood. Answering these questions helps chemists understand coordinate bonds, which form when one molecule donates a pair of electrons to another, and predict chemical reactivity.
Why it matters
This is fundamental chemistry. A better understanding of what controls the strength of coordinate bonds could help researchers predict chemical reactivity in the laboratory, in industry and in the environment. The project also gives undergraduates at a public comprehensive university hands-on research and mentoring experience.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Jay Amicangelo
Pennsylvania State University, PA·Chemistry
Record infrared spectra of hydrogenated radicals formed from hydrogen atoms and monosubstituted benzenes (X = OCH3, CH3, Cl, CN), trapped in 15 K argon matrices using a microwave discharge hydrogen source.
Dmitri Babikov
Marquette University, WI·Chemistry
Develop the Quantum Annealer Eigensolver (QAE), an algorithm for D-Wave quantum annealers, to calculate rotational-vibrational spectra of molecules and describe chemical reactivity.
Dasan Thamattoor
Colby College, ME·Chemistry
Generate singlet vinylcarbenes from cyclopropanated phenanthrene precursors and determine their structure and reactivity, given their proposed role in cyclopropene isomerizations and related synthetic transformations.
The school
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire: 2 labs on PI Pages.
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