Adventures in the Reductive Chemistry of the Rare-Earth and Actinide Metals

The reductive chemistry of the rare-earth and actinide metals has undergone major changes in recent years. New +2 oxidation states are available for these elements in molecular complexes and these new complexes expand the range of physical properties observable for compounds of the f orbital metals. This includes their use as quantum bits, i.e., qubits. This seminar will present some perspective on these developments and will illustrate the importance of interaction between synthetic chemists and researchers that are developing new physical properties. In addition, some recent developments the chemistry of the d1 ions, Th(III) and Sc(II), will be presented.

Speaker: Bill Evans, UC Irvine