Research interests of the Darko group center on developing efficient and selective catalysts through novel design concepts.  Our group currently investigates ligand design in the areas of metal-carbene transfer chemistry and sensing applications.

DESIGN OF NOVEL LIGANDS FOR DIRHODIUM(II) CATALYSTS

Dirhodium(II) paddlewheel complexes are extensively studied for their abilities as catalysts for cyclopropanation reactions and C-H insertion reactions.  By the judicious choice of ligand, one can obtain products with remarkable selectivity.  Most strategies of tuning reactivity and selectivity of the dirhodium complexes involve modification of the bridging ligands.  We are interested in developing dirhodium(II) paddlewheel complexes with novel ligands that introduce additional control elements in order to enhance catalyst selectivity and reactivity.

METAL COMPLEXES FOR ORGANOPHOSPHATE NERVE AGENT SIMULANT DETECTION

Organophosphate nerve agents (OPNAs) are some of the most potent chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in existence. Several strategies exist for the detection and degradation of OPNAs, with the most convenient being chromogenic detection. While chromogenic systems are user friendly, they often suffer from false positives and lack sensitivity. Our research aims to tackle these issues through designing ligands for transition metals for the chromogenic and fluorogenic OPNA detection.