Past and Present Research Systems of Green Chemistry

Biography

Biography: Salah S Massoud

Abstract

The chemical fixation and activation of CO2 by metal complexes may lead to certain devices that can eliminate the CO2 present in the air and hence controlling its concentration and reducing the environmental problems due to the greenhouse effect and global warming. This can be achieved by designing “inexpensive inorganic compounds” that rapidly and effectively catalyze the atmospheric CO2 fixation. In slightly basic solutions, the atmospheric fixation of CO2 by metal complexes, through hydroxo-species, afford the carbonato metal complexes. A number of simple N-donor ligands and multi-dentate Schiff bases containing two or three N-atoms, phenolic and alkoxy groups are to used synthesize a series of 3d(M(II) = Ni, Cu, Zn) and 4f(Ln(III) = lanthanides) complexes. The incorporation of lanthanide (III) ion into the skeleton of3d complexes to produce 3d-4f heteronuclear metal complexes should increase the affinity of the compounds for CO2 fixation into the Ln (III) pocket (Ln3+ ion is a hard Lewis acid which strongly bound to hard Lewis bases; O-donor species such as CO32- ion). The carbonato complexes are not only interesting from the structural and geometrical points of view, but alsomay result in the discovery of interesting Single Molecular Magnets (SMM’s) which can be used to increase the memory of the computers. The resulting carbonato-bridged compounds can also be used to prepare some useful organic compounds. Recent developments concerning synthesis and structure characterization of different coordination carbonato-bridged compounds, magnetic properties and their potential applications will be addressed.