Inorganic Chemistry encompasses fundamental studies of the properties and reactivities of nearly all of the elements, and the roles of metals in biological systems. It impacts diverse technologies, ranging from catalysis and the synthesis of new materials, to drug design and sensor fabrication. The faculty are synthesizing novel boron and carborane compounds for cancer treatment, and new organometallic complexes for synthesis and catalysis. Innovative low-pressure, low-temperature routes for obtaining high-purity ceramic materials are also being developed. New types of monolayers, thin films and polymer membranes are being fabricated and characterized for use in electronics, sensors and separations. State-of-the-art laser spectroscopic methods are being used to understand the structure and reactivity of complex molecules in the gas phase, solution and ultrathin films. Research into the functions of metal complexes in biological systems is providing new insights into disease processes and strategies for treatments and cures. From synthesis to fabrication, from the nanoscale to living organisms, inorganic research at UCLA combines breadth and innovation.

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Faculty

Paula Diaconescu , Assistant Professor. Inorganic chemistry; applications of lanthanide and actinide organometallic chemistry to organic synthesis, small molecule activation, and biological mimics.

Robin Garrell , Professor.

M. Frederick Hawthorne, University Professor of Chemistry. Inorganic and organic chemistry; host-guest chemistry with macrocyclic electrophilic carborane-supported host molecules; synthesis of ordered structures comprised of carborane motifs for use in supramolecular arrays, liposomes and films; synthesis and evaluation of boron-rich species capable of selectively placing large numbers of boron atoms within malignant cell nuclei for the purpose of applying the binary [10]B+[1]n -->[4]He+[7]Li+2.4 MeV reaction to cancer therapy. Highly substituted carboranes and polyhedral ions for drug delivery, dendrimers and use as pharmacophores.

Herbert D. Kaesz, Professor. Chemistry of the transition metals, especially organometallic derivatives; metal and hydrido-metal cluster complexes; metal and alloy crystallites for microelectronics and for catalysis; aromatic metalation; studies into the mechanism of liquefaction and hetero-atom removal in fossil fuels by low valent metal coplexes of the transition metals; pathways of homogeneous catalysis; spectroscopic and structural studies of organometallic compounds. Chemical vapor deposition of thin films of transition metals and their alloys from organometallic precursors.

Richard B. Kaner , Professor. Inorganic chemistry; solid-state synthesis and characterization; rapid precursor routes to carbon nanotubes and refractory materials; conducting polymers as separation membranes for gases, liquids and enantiomers; new materials for thermoelectrics.

John T. Wasson, Professor. Cosmochemistry, chemical and isotopic evolution of the solar nebula; formation of nebular solids, agglomeration of chondritic meteorites; origin and composition of iron meteorites; neutron activation; noble metals as tracers of major impacts on the Earth; origin of tektites.

Omar M. Yaghi, Professor. Inorganic, materials, solid-state, and nano chemistry. The design and construction of porous framewords from the molecular building blocks of inorganic clusters, metal-organic complexes, organic macromolecules, peptides and proteins. Emphasis is placed on design of porous structures and control of their pore metrics and chemical functionality to produce materials with well-defined chemical structure and highly specific function. This approach has resulted in an extensive class of crystals named metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). So far, in my laboratory more than 500 MOFs have been prepared as bulk materials and studied for their gas storage/separation applications. We have collaborations with a large number of major chemical and auto companies to develop the applications of these materials in hydrogen storage and other gas storage and separations, liquid separations, polymerization catalysis, sensors and, more recently, drug transport.

Jeffrey I. Zink, Professor. Inorganic and Physical Chemistry. Laser photodeposition of metals and semiconductors; photodeposition and photofragmentation pathways studied by mass-selected resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionization spectroscopy; excited state structure, dynamics and reactions of metal complexes studied by electronic and resonance Raman spectroscopies; time-dependent theory of electronic spectroscopy; optical sol-gel biosensors; templated meso-structured inorganic films; exotic sol-gel "smart" materials.