BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ZContent.net//ZapCalLib 1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Chemistry of Metal-Metal Bonded Compounds: Toward a Nitrogen En ergy Economy LOCATION:Chemistry A101 TZID:America/Denver DTSTART:20190001T000000 UID:2026-04-29-03-50-14@natsci.colostate.edu DTSTAMP:20260429T035014 Description:About the Seminar:\n\nAmmonia has arisen as an attractive poten tial large-scale energy carrier due to its improved storage and transport over hydrogen\, provoking calls to explore a potential Nitrogen Economy. T wo fundamental technologies are needed in order to realize a zero-carbon n itrogen energy economy: (1) Ammonia synthesis from solar electricity\, and (2) high-performance direct ammonia fuel cells. Both are mechanistically challenging multi-proton\, multi-electron transformations\, prompting inve stigations into the fundamental coordination chemistry and reactivity of a mmonia with transition metals. We report unusual reactivity of ammonia wit h metal-metal bonded compounds that results in the spontaneous metal-cente red reduction and oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen. Mechanistic aspects of this chemistry will be presented as well as results on electrocatalytic oxidation of ammonia to dinitrogen.\n\n\n\n \;\n\nAbout the Speaker:\ n\nJohn was born in Atlanta\, GA and grew up in Newport News\, VA. He atte nded Virginia Tech from 1996 – 2000 where he obtained two degrees: a BA in music theory and composition\, and a BS in chemistry. John then pursued graduate education in chemistry\, attending Texas A&\;M University fro m 2000 – 2004 where he worked as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the research group of Prof. F. Albert Cotton. His graduate work involved synth etic and experimental studies to elucidate the electronic structure and me tal-metal bonding in linear trinuclear molecules that serve as models for molecular wires. John then did postdoctoral work in Germany on a fellowshi p from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. From 2004 – 2006\, he work ed with Prof. Karl Wieghardt at the Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry in Mülheim an der Ruhr\, Germany\, on new electrochemical and p hotochemical routes to unstable high-valent iron intermediates. In 2006\, John joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin – Madison\, where he has established a vibrant research program tackling fu ndamental problems in coordination chemistry and bonding. His research inv olves what he describes as “non-classical” coordination chemistry\, th e chemistry of compounds that include metal-ligand and/or metal-metal mult iple bonding. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012\, full Profes sor in 2015\, and in 2016 John was appointed the Lester R. McNall Professo r of Chemistry. John’s honors include the Enrst Haage Prize (first recip ient\, 2006)\, an NSF CAREER Award (2008)\, an Alexander von Humbold alumn i fellowship (2015)\, the Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award (201 6)\, the H. I. Romnes Faculty Fellowship (2017)\, and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2018)\ , along with two university housing awards for teaching. John is a member of the American Chemical Society\, AAAS\, and is a Fellow of the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy. He has served on the editorial board of Inorganic Chemistry\, is currently editing a volume of Comprehensive Coord ination Chemistry III\, and is Deputy Editor in Chief for Comments on Inor ganic Chemistry.\n\nOutside of chemical research\, John enjoys writing mus ic\, focusing particularly on chamber music. He has had several pieces per formed\, including Dances for String Quartet (1998)\, Sonata for Piano (20 00)\, Sonata for Violincello and Piano (2000)\, Sonata for Tuba and Piano (2009)\, Sonata for Violin and Piano (2014)\, and Three Petrarchian Sonnet s (2019). John plays violin\, viola\, and piano. 4:00 pm END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR