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Daniel G. Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry has developed a simple method to split water molecules and produce oxygen gas, a discovery that paves the way for large-scale use of solar power.
See MIT News Office for full story |
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Cummins Lab: Cleavage of the N≡N bond of dinitrogen, to form two metal nitrogen triple-bonded complexes, at ambient temperature was first reported by Laplaza & Cummins in 1995. This reaction proceeded through an intermediate in which N2 bridges two molybdenum atoms before the N≡N bond is broken. Recent work from the Cummins laboratory has for the first time addressed the complete molecular structure of this key intermediate in the process of breaking the N≡N bond. Work by Curley, Cook, Reece, Müller, and Cummins (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008 130, 9394–9405.) presents the first X-ray crystal structure of this intermediate. The study also makes structural comparisons between different redox states of this bridging dinitrogen complex that advances our understanding of the bonding in molecules of this archetype. In doing so, the authors address previous theoretical predictions while offering predictions of their own. One prediction made by the authors is that N≡N bond cleavage might be facilitated by photochemical processes. In the course of the study, this hypothesis was tested and shown to result in a photochemical N≡N bond cleavage reaction that proceeds with a different stoichiometry than the previously known thermal reaction.
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cis-Diammine(pyridine)chloroplatinum(II), a monofunctional platinum(II) antitumor agent: Uptake, structure, function, and prospects
A compound that accumulates in cells more readily than a commonly used colorectal cancer drug may be just as useful in treating colorectal tumors, but with fewer side effects. Both compounds are analogues of cisplatin, a potent anticancer agent, but the newly investigated compound, known as cDPCP, may better target colorectal cells, potentially sparing other body tissues from damage. Professor Stephen J. Lippard is the Senior author of the above mentioned paper that was published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on July 1. Other authors of the paper are Katherine Lovejoy, co-lead author of the paper (Lippard Group), Michael McCormick, (just graduated from the Lippard Group), Ryan C. Todd (Lippard Group), Shuzhong Zhang and Kathleen Giacomini of the University of California at San Francisco, J. Alejandro D'Aquino of Brandeis University, and Joyce Reardon and Aziz Sancar of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. |
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