The research areas of Professor Jamie L. Adcock concern the synthesis
of novel fluorinated molecules, the development of novel fluorination processes,
and the development of molecular device elements. Persons having
physical, analytical, polymer, inorganic as well as organic chemical backgrounds
are well equipped to handle research problems in this group. Important
techniques utilized in this laboratory include aerosol direct fluorination,
super-critical fluid synthesis, pressure and vacuum-line manipulation,
inert atmosphere and dry-box techniques, 19F & 1H NMR, Raman and FT-IR
Spectroscopy, High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Gas Chromatography, etc.
Specific current areas on interest include the following:
CARBON CAGE CHEMISTRY: Synthesis of Fluorinated Fullerenes -- "Bucky-Balls to Slicker-Balls": The synthesis of fluorinated bucky-balls and the isolation of an enantiomeric pair of C60F48 isomers was achieved in collaboration with Dr. Robert Compton and Dr. Richard Sachleben (ORNL) and Dr. Tuinman (UTK Mass Spectrometry). Current interest in synthesis of lower fluorinated bucky-balls and open spheres is a new objective. Can transition metals be incorporated into a bucky-ball sphere can they coordinate other ligands?
DIAMONDOIDS: Synthesis of Perfluorinated Polyamantanes, Adamantanes, Stellanes, Cubanes and Propellanes:
Tetrasulfonato-F-adamantanes could be excellent fuel cell electrolytes
for efficient electricity generation from natural gas. Synthesis
based on [1.1.1] propellane and cubane cages have led to an interesting
derivative chemistry and to investigation of long-range, through-bond interactions.
Interesting new "five-valent" carbon species have been characterized by
X-ray crystallography. The synthesis of F-adamantan-2,6-dione and
its photochemical decarbonylation led to the synthesis of F-bisnoradamantane
or F-stellane, a four-point star. This is the smallest perfluorinated
cage synthesized to date. This highly symmetrical molecule exhibits
long-range F-F virtual coupling in the NMR as a readily interpretable pattern.
Synthesis of F-stellane was for fun, but calculations may answer some important
theoretical questions about spin-spin coupling!!!
SUPERCRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE FLUORINATIONS: Carbon dioxide shows much promise as an environmental friendly fluorination medium. It has immense potential to promote selective fluorinations for drug and other applications and makes isolation of products almost trivial.
QUANTUM CELLULAR AUTOMATICA - QCA'S - Nanotechnology and molecular devices represent the future of electronics. The development of no-current electronic logic devices solve the problem of heat generation/dissipation arising from miniaturization. Building of molecular binary logic elements at molecular scale is feasible and several potential candidates for such devices have been devised. Synthesis of models and prototypes are envisioned and are feasible by current techniques.
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS
“Vibrational Analysis of Perfluorinated Triamantane”, J.
N. Hart, P.W. May, N.L. Allan, J.E.P. Dahl, S. Liu, R.M.K. Carlson, J.
Adcock, Chem. Phys. Letts. 2008, 460; 237–240.
"Electron Capture-Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Mass
Spectrometry: Analysis of Fullerenes, Perfluorinated Compounds, and
Pentafluorobenzyl Derivatives", Liguo Song*, Amber D. Wellman, Huifang
Yao, and Jamie L. Adcock, Rapid Communications in Mass
Spectrometry, 2007; 21: 1343–1351.
“Comparison of Rheological Properties of Short-chain
Perfluoropolyethers Through Simulation and Experiment”, B. Jiang,
N. J. Crawford, D.J. Keffer, Brian J. Edwards and J.L. Adcock, Mol.
Sim. 2007, 33(9-10), 871-878.
"Highly Fluorinated Adamantanols; Synthesis, Acidities, and Reactivities," Adcock, J. L. and Zhang, Huqiu, J. Org. Chem., 1996, 61, 5073-5076.
"Perfluorinated Stellanes: The Synthesis of Perfluorinated Bisnoradamantane; Long-range 19F NMR Virtual Coupling," Adcock, J. L. and Zhang, Huqiu, J. Org. Chem., 1996, 61, 1975-1977.
"Polarized C–H Groups as Novel Hydrogen Bond Donors in Hydryl-F-alkylesters, Unequivocal Examples of the Pinchas' Effect," Adcock, J. L. and Zhang Huqiu, J. Org. Chem., 1995, 60, 1999-2000.
"Synthesis and Photochemical Reactions of Perfluorinated Carbonyl Containing Adamantane Derivatives," Adcock, James L. and Luo, Huimin, J. Org. Chem., 1994, 59, 5883-5885.
"Selective Synthesis and Structure Determination of C60F48," Gakh, Andrei A.; Tuinman, Albert A.; Adcock, J. L.; Sachleben, Richard A.; Compton, Robert N.; J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 1994, 116, 819-820.
"Aerosol Direct Fluorination: A Developing Synthesis Technology, An Entry Level Mechanistic Tool, A Short Review," J. L. Adcock and M. L. Cherry, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 1987, 26, 208-215.