The Department of Organic Chemistry kindly invites to the following talk:

Prof. Dr. Rafal Klajn, Institute of Science and Technology (ISTA), Austria

“Controlling chemical reactivity by confinement effects”

Nature has long impressed chemists with its ability to stabilize ephemeral chemical species, perform chemical reactions with unprecedented rates and selectivities, and synthesize complex organic molecules and exquisite inorganic structures seemingly effortlessly. What the natural systems consistently exploit is the aspect of confinement. In contrast, the use of confinement effects in a synthetic setup is relatively rare; examples include “on-water” catalysis and reaction acceleration within molecular containers. In this talk, I will discuss our recent studies on the synthesis and properties of molecules and porous nanomaterials capable of confining other, smaller molecules. These nanomaterials include colloidal crystals and nanoporous metals and feature confined spaces with dimensions of 1–10 nm; the cavities of molecular containers are smaller, typically in the subnanometer size regime. I will describe how these confined spaces can be generated reversibly using light and magnetic fields, paving the way toward controlling chemical reactivity using external stimuli. Finally, I will focus on the cavities of coordination cages and discuss how we utilized them to tune the wavelength of azobenzene photoisomerization across the entire visible range.

When: 21.05.2025, 16h

Where: Kleiner Hörsaal 3, Boltzmanngasse 1, 1090 Vienna