Finding Radical Ways to Synthesize Phosphorus Containing Molecules

Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research, while enhancing transferable skills. Students were challenged to describe their research, scholarship or creative activity in 150 or fewer words to share with our community.

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Finding Radical Ways to Synthesize Phosphorus Containing Molecules

Phosphorus-containing (organophosphorus) molecules are ubiquitous in our everyday lives. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for animals and plants, and it cycles through rocks, water, soil, sediments, and organisms. Phosphorus compounds have found applications in pharmaceuticals, antimicrobial agents, pesticides, flame retardants, high tech plastics, and more. Phosphorus has had a profound impact on industries and is relied upon to produce valuable consumable products. There is considerable interest in developing new and efficient methods to make organophosphorus molecules. My research focuses on modifying organic small molecules to include a phosphorus atom in their structures. I use a reaction that is driven by light or heat to form phosphorus-carbon bonds. While I create my targeted molecules, this reaction generates little to no by-products. In the future, the organophosphorus molecules I make will be studied and used to speed up the rate of chemical reactions.

Jeanette Adjei
PhD candidate, Chemistry
Faculty of Science - Western University

Supervisors
Paul Ragogna
Michael A. Kerr

Jeanette obtained her Bachelor of Science in chemistry at Toronto Metropolitan University. During her BSc, she worked on synthesizing BODIPY organic dye molecules towards dye-sensitized solar cell applications under the supervision of Prof. Bryan D. Koivisto. For Jeanette’s B.Sc. thesis, she worked on the synthesis of N,O donor oxazoline ligands towards metal coordination chemistry and catalysis under the supervision of Prof. Robert A. Gossage. Currently Jeanette is a PhD student holding a NSERC CGS-D award at Western University under the supervision of Profs. Paul J. Ragogna and Michael A. Kerr. Jeanette’s research focuses on developing new organophosphines for metal coordination and catalytic transformations. Her work was well received at the international level, and she was awarded the Dalton Transactions Poster Award at the 1st Global Inorganic Discussion Weekend (GIDW) online poster competition and was later an invited speaker to the GIDW webinar. She also has 4 publications and has obtained 9 awards at the national and international level. Jeanette’s other interests lie in science communication and outreach, when not in the lab she engages in promoting science to underrepresented groups and is a member of organizations with the same goals. One of the organizations that Jeanette is a member of is the Canadian Black Scientists Network (CBSN), a network that exists to elevate, increase the visibility, celebrate, and connect Black Canadians in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine (STEMM) across sectors.

You can connect with Jeanette on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanette-adjei/; Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeanette_adjei; or via email: jadjei2@uwo.ca.

View Jeanette's work as it appears in the Inspiring Minds Digital Collection: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/230/