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Synthesis

ACS Award In Inorganic Chemistry

Sponsored by Aldrich Chemical

by Susan R. Morrissey
January 4, 2010 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 88, Issue 1

Darensbourg
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Credit: Courtesy of Donald Darensbourg
Credit: Courtesy of Donald Darensbourg

Donald J. Darensbourg, professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University, grew up wanting to be an architect or engineer. After all, during high school, he worked with his father, who was a builder, so the two career paths made sense. But thanks to a fascinating general chemistry course and a less than captivating mechanical drafting class, Darensbourg changed his mind. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Working in the area of inorganic chemistry, Darensbourg, 68, has spent much of his career studying the mechanisms of organometallic reactions, including carbon dioxide insertion into hydrogen-, carbon-, and oxygen-metal bonds. He is being honored for these studies and their specific applications to polycarbonate formation.

"It's truly humbling and very gratifying to have your work validated by your peers with such an award," Darensbourg says. "I certainly realize that inorganic chemistry is a diverse field that has attracted many talented scientists, so I consider myself very lucky to be acknowledged by this award."

Research in Darensbourg's lab in recent years has focused on copolymerizing CO2 with epoxides to produce polycarbonates. These industrially important thermoplastics with wide-ranging properties and uses are currently made via a process that involves interfacial polycondensation of phosgene and diols. To improve this process and make it more environmentally friendly, Darensbourg's group is doing detailed mechanistic studies of metal-catalyzed CO2/epoxide-coupling reactions using in situ infrared spectroscopy methods.

Research in this area has also led to the synthesis of biodegradable polymers for use in medical devices. Specifically, the group has shown that copolymers made from CO2 and oxetanes with polyesters afford biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers that can be used for surgical sutures, drug-delivery devices, or dental implants.

"CO2 chemistry has been a continuous theme over most of Don's career, leading to exciting applications that now attract a host of international research teams," says Malcolm H. Chisholm, a chemistry professor at Ohio State University. "He spearheaded this area in its genesis and he continues to be the long-term leader."

Because of Darensbourg's work on CO2/epoxide copolymerization, "countless scientists have been attracted to the field, including myself," adds Geoffrey W. Coates, a chemistry professor at Cornell University.

These accolades aside, Darensbourg says: "I've always thought it was reward enough to have such a wonderful career—teaching and mentoring bright graduate and undergraduate students, as well as doing research that I am passionate about. You can't ask for much more than to be excited about going to work every day."

Darensbourg earned a B.S. in chemistry from California State University, Los Angeles, in 1964, and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1968. After graduate school, he did a 10-month stint at the Texaco Research Center in Beacon, N.Y., before joining the faculty of the State University of New York, Buffalo. In 1973, he moved to Tulane University, where he rose through the ranks to become a full professor. He assumed his current position at Texas A&M in 1982.

Darensbourg has some 330 journal articles to his credit and has graduated 48 Ph.D. chemistry students. He has been honored with distinguished teaching and research awards.

Darensbourg will present the award address before the Division of Inorganic Chemistry.

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