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Caltech

Beckman Lecture

Wednesday, May 3, 2023
4:00pm to 5:00pm
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Gates Annex B122
The Mechanophore Hypothesis
Jeffrey Moore, Stanley O. Ikenberry Research Professor, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Chambaign,

This talk will discuss the development of the mechanophore concept which grew out of the hypothesis that certain molecules selectively undergo force-induced covalent bond transformations. I will discuss the mechanisms of mechanical activation; these include force-modified potential energy surfaces and force-imparted chemical dynamics. Evidence for flyby reaction trajectories will be discussed which reflects the biased time course of a force-generated reactive intermediate leading to product distributions that depart from those predicted from the force-modified potential energy surface alone. New examples of mechanophores will be presented along with their use for the development of mechanoresponsive materials.

For more information, please contact Annette Luymes by phone at x6016 or by email at [email protected].