Evans Group Lanthanide and Actinide Chemistry

Outline of Evans Group Research

Goal

Discover unique chemistry with the lanthanides, actinides, yttrium, and bismuth that expands our chemical understanding and contributes to solving important practical problems with particular emphasis on energy and the environment

Focus Areas

• New Types of Redox Chemistry (Sterically Induced Reduction; LnZ₃/K; Ln₂N₂)
• Catalysis Related to the Hydrogen Economy and Solar Water Splitting
• Lanthanide/Actinide Chemistry Related to Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems
• Small molecule Activation (N₂, CO, CO₂, NO, CH₄)/ Cascade Reactions

Research Approaches

Synthetic, mechanistic, structural, macromolecular, theoretical (DFT collaboration), photochemical (upconversion), non-ambient

Experimental Approaches

• Air sensitive methods: glove box, vacuum line, Schlenk double manifold
• Metal vapor chemistry, high temperature chemistry
• Mechanochemistry, sonochemistry, photochemistry, microwave methods
• ⁸⁹Y NMR (solid state and in solution), ¹⁵N NMR
• Electrochemistry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
• Field desorption, electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry i.e. FDMS, ESMS, APCI-MS
• Thermal field flow fractionation (TFFF)

Practical Problems Addressed

• Multi-electron redox processes needed for solar water splitting
• Nuclear fuel synthesis; nuclear waste remediation
• Catalysis for the hydrogen economy
• New materials for electronics, optics, lighting, magnets, catalytic converters
• New routes to new polymers including biodegradable and metal-containing
• New routes to dinitrogen activation
• Practical development of C-H and C-C activation
• Carbonium ion chemistry; new reductants for organic syntheses

Common Denominator

Expertise in the inorganic and organometallic chemistry of heavy metals, lanthanides, actinides, yttrium, and bismuth