Abstract: Cyclic polymers do not contain end groups, and as a result they demonstrate a number of unique physical properties. For example, the density, refractive index, Tg, viscoelasticity, reptation, and surface properties of cyclic polymers all differ from those of their more common linear analogs. Over the past fifty years a handful of catalysts have been discovered that can create cyclic polymers. In this seminar, three new catalysts will be presented that are capable of creating cyclic polymers. The cycloaddition reaction of a metal-azide with a metal-acetylide to form bimetallic triazolates was introduced in 2011 and termed inorganic click (iClick) to acknowledge the participation of the metal ions in the reaction. Essentially, iClick replaces the R-group on the azide and the proton of a terminal alkyne with a metal ion in well-established copper catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloadditions. This presentation will introduce the concept of iClick and its application in the synthesis of new metallopolymers.
Short Bio: Adam Veige received a Hons. B.Sc. degree in Chemistry in 1997 from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. For a period of six months, Dr. Veige worked on the synthesis of chiral titanium catalysts for stereoselective polyolefin synthesis in the laboratories of Dr. David McConville at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Veige obtained his Ph.D. in 2003 at Cornell University while working with Dr. Peter T. Wolczanski. His Ph.D. research at Cornell focused on kinetic and mechanistic investigations of O-atom transfer and a rare metal-olefin to metal-alkylidene isomerization. His postdoctoral work under the guidance of Dr. Daniel G. Nocera, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focused on elucidating the mechanism of photocatalytic H2 evolution from rhodium and iridium mixed-valent complexes. In 2004 he joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida as Assistant Professor in Inorganic Chemistry. Dr. Veige’s research focuses on the synthesis of highly active catalysts for creating value-added products including cyclic polymers. Another area of current interest is the synthesis of in-chain metallopolymers using iClick technology invented by the Veige group. In 2010, Dr. Veige was named Director for the Center for Catalysis, and in 2015 was promoted to Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Veige was awarded a Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award, the Dr. Paul Tarrant Fellowship, the University of Florida Undergraduate Mentor of the Year Award (2012), the College of Liberal Arts Faculty Mentor of the Year 2014-2015, and in 2017 was named a University of Florida Research Foundation Professor.