Current Research

    Professor Rajca’s research area of interest is organic chemistry with emphasis on novel materials with magnetic, conducting, and optical properties. Understanding of fundamental aspects of electronic structure and its dependence on the size ranging from fraction of nanometer to several nanometers is the underlying theme of many projects in this research group.
Currently, their focus is on the design and synthesis of stable high-spin polyradicals. Following the design principles developed for the polyarylmethyls, they are working on syntheses of high-spin polynitroxides and other polyradicals stable at ambient condition. They are in search for macrocyclic cores and linkers that are promising building blocks for preparation of organic polymer magnets with improved ordering temperature and stability at ambient conditions (“plastic magnets”).
Their efforts are aimed at the synthesis and study of chiral π-conjugated molecules and polymers, precursors to organic chiral semiconductors/conductors and materials for chiral waveguides. The target molecules include molecules related to a hypothetical allotrope of carbon (3-dimensional graphite) and sulfocarbons (C_nS_m). A number of chiral organic molecules with interesting molecular structure and properties are being prepared in this research group.

Recent Publications

M. Miyasaka, A. Rajca, “Synthesis of a Short Carbon-Sulfur Helicene: Pd-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling at the β-Positions of Thiophenes,” Synlett 177–182 (2004).

A. Rajca, M. Pink, T. Rojsajjakul, K. Lu, Hua Wang, and S. Rajca, “X-ray Crystallography and Magnetic Studies of a Stable Macrocyclic Tetranitroxide. Intramolecular Dimer of Nitroxides in a Constrained Geometry of the Upper Rim of Calix[4]arene”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 8534-8538 (2003).

A. Rajca, “From High-Spin Organic Molecules to Organic Polymers with Magnetic Ordering”, Chem. Eur. J. 8, 4834-4841 (2002) (Concept Article).

Recent Graduates and Current Affiliations

· Kan Lu, M.S., 1995, now with Norchem (Chicago, IL)