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Dr. Paul G. Hayes, FRSC (UK)
Tier I Board of Governors Research Chair
Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
B.Sc. (Honours), Mount Allison University
Ph.D., University of Calgary
PDF (NSERC), University of California, Berkeley
p.hayes@uleth.ca
Research Program
Research in the Hayes Group involves the synthesis of inorganic molecules for application in new chemical transformations and catalysis. Several key projects directly address this goal. The first tackles the challenge of preparing new materials that are both biodegradable and biocompatible through the use of discrete Mg, Ca, and Zn complexes. A second project focuses on the preparation of new monoanionic pincer ligands to support metal main-group multiple bonding within lanthanide and group 3 complexes. Another line of inquiry aims to synthesize unusual organometallic complexes of the actinide metals uranium and thorium. Specifically, we have been developing new ligand systems, including those that contain the little-known phosphazide functionality, for their ability to serve as useful platforms for stabilizing a wide array of actinide species. The final project is tailored toward the use of late transition metals (e.g. Rh, Ir) for the catalytic functionalization of hydrocarbons and other small molecules. More details about this science, and that conducted in collaboration with others, can be found on our Current Projects and Publications pages.
Students within the Hayes group will learn inert atmosphere methodologies (high-vacuum, Schlenk and glove box) and characterize new compounds using a wide array of spectroscopic techniques (multinuclear NMR, IR, UV-Vis, EPR), mass spectrometry (MS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), X-ray crystallography and various analytical methods.
