Molecular design through boron–nitrogen chemistry
How does replacing carbon-based bonding with an N–B–N motif change a molecule’s electronic structure and function? The Green Lab combines organic synthesis, spectroscopy, and computational chemistry to connect molecular design with bonding, fluorescence, and biomolecular recognition.
Bonding, geometry, and pseudoaromaticity
Our central scaffolds are benzodiazaboroles: boron-containing heterocycles whose N–B–N motif provides a way to investigate electron donation, delocalization, and the relationship between local bonding and whole-ring behavior.
In a familiar aromatic molecule such as benzene, cyclic electron delocalization gives rise to characteristic energetic, structural, and magnetic behavior. In heterocycles with chemically different atoms, these indicators can tell different parts of the story. We investigate pseudoaromaticity by comparing bond geometry, electronic structure, and magnetic-response descriptors rather than relying on a single electron-counting rule.
We are also exploring constrained, three-dimensional N–B–N scaffolds to understand how departures from planarity alter orbital overlap and delocalization.
Photophysics and charge transfer
We design benzodiazaborole derivatives to investigate how substitution and molecular environment influence light absorption and emission. Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, supported by computation, help us examine the roles of solvent, intermolecular association, and charge transfer.
Our broader goal is to establish relationships between structure and optical response that can guide the design of useful molecular probes.
Read our 2026 study of charge transfer and fluorescence →
Nucleic acid recognition and medicinal chemistry
We are investigating boron-containing analogues of DNA-binding chromophores, including scaffolds inspired by DAPI. These studies ask how incorporating boron changes molecular shape, electronic properties, and interactions with DNA and RNA.
Our developing approach combines ligand synthesis with spectroscopic binding measurements and molecular modeling. The long-term aim is to connect nucleic acid recognition with photoactive and boron-enabled molecular function.
How we work
- Synthesis: preparation and functionalization of organoboron heterocycles, including microwave-assisted methods.
- Characterization: NMR and infrared spectroscopy, alongside routine analysis of compound identity and purity.
- Optical measurements: UV–visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy.
- Computation: molecular geometry, orbital analysis, aromaticity descriptors, and models of molecular interactions.
Undergraduates as researchers
Students help develop research questions, plan experiments, analyze data, and communicate results through posters, presentations, and manuscripts. Projects connect practical laboratory skills with the reasoning needed to interpret molecular behavior.