Anisotropic organic materials: ferroelectric crystals and spin-polarized radicals

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Anisotropic organic materials are attracting increasing interesting for their highly electro-optic characteristics. We are especially interested in dipole parallel-aligned crystals because of the much higher chromophore density as compared to polymers. To deeply investigate these crystalline materials, 1,4-diphenyl-butadiene and its derivatives have now been studied. In Chapters 1 - 4, crystal packing of polymorphs of (E,E)-1,4-diphenyl-1,3-butadiene is analyzed with various methods. Toward quasienantiomeric non-linear crystals, 1- methyl-1,3,6-triphenyl-7-(E-2-phenylpropenyl)-1,2-dihydronaphthalene is probed in molecular interactions, synthesis, and chiral separation. In Chapter 5, the benzylic C-H homolyses were studied of its annulated derivatives with various computational theories. Chapter 6 analyzes one of perfectly aligned crystals: 4-decoxy-4'-chloroacetophenone azine in its first hyperpolarizability, and proves dipole alignment with computations and experiments. The last chapter of the dissertation is concerned with an entirely different topic, namely the challenges of preparing college students for science communication. In Chapter 7, the design and development of a webtool is described to support the Chemistry Is in the News project.