PG LAB @ IACS


Welcome to PG Lab

PG Group 

Research Overview

Supramolecular Catalysis: Cage receptors are potential to generate suitable micro environments to host various guest substrates selectively through supramolecular interactions, like, hydrogen bonding, halogen bonding, columbic interaction, π-π stacking interaction etc. We carefully design and synthesize various well-organized multi-functional heteroditopic macrocycles/bicycles that assist catalytic pathways toward desired regio/stereoselective products formation. We are also interested in photo-active metal complexes (mainly ruthenium and iridium complexes) to develop novel organic methodologies (Organocatalysis). In this area our focus is to develop various macrocyclic scaffolds with different binding sites (mainly carbon or nitrogen) that can selectively bind different metal ions to display merging catalytic reactivity. We are further focusing on development of unimolecular bimetallic photocatalysts for newer catalytic activities which can eventually be used in natural product or drug molecules synthesis in visible light. [Read More]

Recognition, Sensing and Extraction of Anion and Ion-pair: We rationally design and synthesize multipodal receptors, dimeric and covalent molecular capsules with diverse binding motifs for selective recognition and extraction of anion and ion-pair, fluorophoric receptors for sensing. These receptors form distinct clefts or cavities to address the selectivity issues, which are otherwise energetically unfavourable. Our present research mostly focuses on (i) halogen and hydrogen bonding based recognition of phosphates and perrhenate,  ReO4- (surrogate of highly toxic and radioactive by-product pertechnetate, 99TcO4- in nuclear fuel generation) to address the environmental issues like eutrophication of water body due to excess use of phosphate based fertilizers in agriculture and nuclear waste reprocessing/disposal problems; (ii) chalcogen, halogen and hydrogen bonding based recognition and extraction of anions in aqueous medium to address some of the problems associated in industrial discharged water; (iii) polymer based anion receptors for separation of ions. [Read More]

Molecular Self-assembly and Interlocked Molecular Systems: We do work on template directed interlocked molecular systems (mainly rotaxanes and catenanes) for the development of molecular machines, their transition/inner-transition metal complexes and potential applications such as selective sensing of ions, as well as, metal ion assisted self-assembly to develop artificial helicates etc. [Read More]

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