Events
Mechanochemistry: Nano(Newton) mechanics with covalent bonds
Date: 04.04.2011Time: 4:30 p.m.
Place: UHW 11/1102
Dominik Marx, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Activating covalent bonds selectively and controlling chemical reactions at will are at the very heart of chemistry. Major avenues to achieve these goals rely on using heat, light, or electricity. Only during the last decade became it possible to apply site-specifically nano-Newton forces to selectively trigger and control chemical reactions. Much in parallel with experimental advances, theoretical approaches were developed which pave the way to understanding "covalent mechanochemistry". This lecture will give an overview of our efforts to unveiling the nanomechanical properties of molecule/metal junctions and of force-induced electrocyclic ring-opening reactions in solution.
