Our main research interest is the design and synthesis of novel ligand systems and the careful study of their coordination chemistry and the properties of their metal complexes. We concentrate primarily on ligands involving azaaromatic nuclei such as pyridine and pyrrole (1 – 5). These ligands are synthesized using a wide variety of techniques ranging from the Friedländer condensation to Stille couplings. A popular family of ligands involves 2,2'-bipyridine, terpyridine, and 1,10-phenanthroline. We use steric, conformational, and electronic effects to modify the properties of these ligands and in this manner we tune the properties of their corresponding metal complexes.
