Helen Murray Free Endowed Technical Lecture

Gregory Robinson, PhD

Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of Georgia

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Technical Lecture

N-Heterocyclic Carbenes and Dithiolene Radicals: Counterintuitive Main Group Chemistry

Our laboratory has long pursued the synthesis, structure, and reactivity of unusual molecules that prominently feature main group elements. These efforts resulted in several significant milestones including the experimental realization of “metalloaromaticity” (the concept that metallic rings may also display traditional aromatic behavior as exhibited by benzene), synthesis of the first molecule containing a boron-boron double bond—the first “diborene”, and synthesis of the first molecule containing a triple bond between two main group metals (the gallium analog of acetylene). Research efforts have also concerned carbene stabilization of highly reactive main group molecules such diphosphorus (P₂), diarsenic (As₂), and disilicon (Si₂). This presentation will prominently feature our efforts to synthetically augment the molecular template of N-heterocyclic carbenes and their surprising conversion to stable dithiolene-based chemical radicals, which have shown promise in the activation of small molecules, such as ammonia.

Learn more about Professor Robinson: https://www.gregoryhrobinson.com/

Selected Awards:

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected in 2025)
• National Academy of Sciences (elected 2021)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2017)
• F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry by the American Chemical Society (2013)
• Humboldt Research Prize (2012)
• Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award—the highest research award of The University of Georgia (2010)
• Southern Chemist Award (1998)