We work in the area of main-group organometallic chemistry, polynuclear metal complexes, inorganic rings, cages and polymers and in molecular materials. The common thread that connects all of these themes is synthesis and structure.
Inorganic rings and polymers provide an interesting platform for a synthetic inorganic chemist. Some of the inorganic rings can be converted to the corresponding high polymers. Alternately, inorganic rings can be stitched as pendants on organic polymer platforms. Both of these approaches are of interest to us and we widely investigate them particularly with respect to systems containing P-N motifs. Another aspect of interest is to use the inorganic rings and cages such as cyclophosphazenes or stannoxanes as scaffolds for building functional molecules. We have considerable interest in this field as it provides access to many novel assemblies possessing interesting electro- or photochemical properties. Also, such approaches are useful for preparing new hybrid nanomaterials that are catalytically active.
We are also interested in using inorganic motifs to support new multi-site coordinating ligands using which polynuclear complexes can be built. The interest in such systems emanates from their structure as well as properties. For example, the phosphonate family of ligands represented by [RPO3]2- afford, layered metal phosphonates. However, we have pioneered an ancillary ligand approach that allows molecular assemblies whose nuclearity can be modulated considerably.
Our interest in this is to be able to make new molecular materials such as single-molecule magnets (SMMs) as well as systems that are catalytically active. Our interest in main-group organometallic chemistry is to understand the M-C bond reactivity in these systems and using their lability to construct complex architectures. Our research programs are driven by fundamental questions whose solutions can also lead to emerging applications.

• Pentanuclear Heterometallic {Ni2Ln3} (Ln = Gd, Dy, Tb, Ho) Assemblies. Single-Molecule MagnetBehavior and Multistep Relaxation in the Dysprosium Derivative,Inorg. Chem., 52, 13078 (2013).

• Stabilizing the [RSn(µ2-O)SnR] Motif through Intramolecular N -> Sn Coordination. Synthesis andCharacterization of [(RSn)2 (µ2-O)(µ2-O FcCOO)2)(η-FcCOO)2)]·THF and {(RSn)2(µ2-O)[(t-BuO)2PO2]2Cl2}·THF ·2H2O (R=2-(Phenylazo)phenyl),Organometallics, 32, 3419, (2013).

• Molecular indium(III) phosphonates possessing ring and cage structures. synthesis and structuralcharacterization of [In2(t -BuPO3H)4(phen)2Cl2] and In3(C5H9PO3)2(C5H9PO3H)4(phen)3]·NO3·3.5H2O,Inorg. Chem., 52, 13078 (2013).

• Molecular transition-metal phosphonates,Dalton Trans. 5394 (2011)

• Phosphorus-Supported Ligands for the Assembly of Multimetal Architectures,Acc. Chem. Res. 42, 1047 (2009)

• University of Massachusetts, Amherst, U. S. A., 1983-86

• Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited, Vadodara, 1986-87; IIT Kanpur, 1987-present

• Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, University of Göttingen, Germany, 1994-95

• Wilhelm-Bessel Fellow, University of Göttingen, Germany, 2004

• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad, 2012-14

• National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, 2014

• Silver Medal, Chemical Research Society of India

• Fellow of Third World Academy of Sciences

• Fellow of National Academy of Sciences

• Fellow of Indian National Science Academy

• J. C. Bose National Fellowship

Office

CL-202D ,
Department of Chemistry
IIT Kanpur,
Kanpur 208016

Office Phone: 0512-259-7259 (O)

Email: vc[AT]iitk.ac.in