Name: Surajit Jana
Diploma / M.Sc degree: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India
(August 2003)
PhD Project: Synthesis of organometallic precursors for metal oxynitrides

Homepage: www.uni-muenster.de/Chemie/AC/mitzel/welcome.html

Abstract of Research Project
Some nitrogen substituted metal oxides are interesting p-type semiconducting materials. In this project we want to find new types of preceramic routes to metal oxynitrides with variable N/O compositions. Of particular interest in this respect are the oxynitrides of zinc, zirconium and the elements of the chromium group. For the preparation of such materials we want to use the thermal decomposition of organometallic compounds with nitrogen and oxygen containing ligands. Alcoholysis and ammonolysis type reactions of metal alkyls will be the major routes to achieve suitable metal/oxygen/nitrogen compositions in the material precursor compounds. Predetermined breaking points will be introduced in the form of substituents with particularly weak bonds, such as hydrazine units or suitable alkyl groups at nitrogen and oxygen, which serve as good leaving groups. An optimization of the precursor design will be achieved by studying the decomposition chemistry and developing models for the mechanism of thermal degradation reactions.


Publications

S. Jana, R. Berger, R. Fröhlich, T. Pape, N.W. Mitzel
Oxygenation of Simple Zinc Alkyls: Surprising Dependence of Product Distributions on the Alkyl Substituents and the Presence of Water
Inorganic Chemistry 46(10) (2007), 4293-4297

S. Jana, R. Fröhlich, N.W. Mitzel
Organozinc siloxide-hydrazide aggregates [(RZn)₄(NHNMe₂)_x(OSiMe₃)_(4-x)]
Z. Naturforsch. 61b(7) (2006), 838-845.

S. Jana, R.J.F. Berger, R. Fröhlich, N.W. Mitzel
First mixed hydrazide/hydroxylamide metal aggregates
Chem. Commun. (2006), 3993-3995.

S. Jana, R. Fröhlich, N.W. Mitzel
Zinc hydrazide and zinc alkoxide hydrazide cages with Zn₄N₈ and Zn₄N₆O cores-cluster isomerism as a result of subtle changes in ligand size
Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. (2006), 3936-3942.

S. Jana, R. Fröhlich, N. W. Mitzel
Zinc Hydrazides and Alkoxyhydrazides: Organometallic Compounds with Novel Zn₄N₈, Zn₄N₆O and Zn₄N₄O₂ Cage Structures
Chem. Eur. J. 12 (2006), 592-599.


Surajit Jana
eMail: sjana@uni-muenster.de