Name: Dr. Mohan Padmanaban
Diploma / M.Sc degree: Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai, India
(April 2007)

PhD Project: Synthesis, postsynthetic modification and application of new Metal-Organic-Frameworks (MOFs)


Homepage: http://www.uni-muenster.de/Chemie.oc/glorius/en/group/mohan_padmanaban.html

Abstract of Research Project

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), coordination polymers, represent an exciting class of porous materials, which got increasing attention over the past years due to the ease of structural variation and the utility in various aspects, including gas separation, gas storage and selective catalysis. These applications depend on the pore size and shape, the interior and exterior surfaces, functional groups etc, and, intriguingly, these properties of the MOFs can be easily modified. Minor changes in the synthetic process or the ligand or the metal can lead to dramatic structural changes. Currently, the field is entering a phase, where the rational design of MOFs seems to become feasible. These materials create new opportunities for many different scientific fields, among them catalysis of challenging transformations or asymmetric catalysis.

During our research program we are interested in developing new kinds of porous organic frameworks using various metal sources and linker molecules (ligands). We have started to work on the synthesis of suitable organic linkers in order to make these materials under solvothermal process. As organic chemists, we are especially interested in the further functional modification of the resultant metal-organic frame work, a process that is commonly called "post synthetic modification". Our main objective is the functional modification of the MOFs and the study of their catalytic activity. On the basis of these reports, we are looking forward to develop high crystalline materials, their modification and their utility in various fields, however, mainly catalysis.


Publications

M. Padmanaban, P. Müller, C. Lieder, K. Gedrich, R. Grünker, V. Bon, I. Senkovska, S. Baumgärtner, S. Opelt, S. Paasch, E. Brunner, F. Glorius, E. Klemm, S. Kaskel
Application of a chiral metal-organic framework in enantioselective separation
Chem. Commun. 47 (2011), 12089-12091.

M. Padmanaban, A. T. Biju, F. Glorius
Efficient Synthesis of Benzofuranones: N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC)/ Base-Catalyzed Hydroacylation - Stetter - Rearrangement Cascade
Org. Lett. 13(20) (2011), 5624–5627.

A. T. Biju, M. Padmanaban, N. E. Wurz, F. Glorius
N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Umpolung of Michael Acceptors for Intermolecular Reactions
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50 (2011), 1–5.

M. Padmanaban, A. T. Biju, F. Glorius
N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Aromatic Aldehydes with Activated Alkyl Halides
Org. Lett. 13(1) (2011), 98-101.


Mohan Padmanaban
eMail: Mohan Padmanaban