Department of Chemistry
A headshot

Donald Darensbourg
Distinguished Professor

Contact
Department of Chemistry
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-3255

P: 979-845-5417
F: 979-845-0158
djdarens@chem.tamu.edu

Researcher ID

Current Activities

The fundamentally interesting and challenging chemistry associated with carbon dioxide, coupled with its high potential as a source of chemical carbon, provides adequate justification for comprehensive investigations in this area. In our research program we have attempted to establish a clearer mechanistic view of carbon-hydrogen, carbon-carbon, and carbon-oxygen bond forming processes resulting from carbon dioxide insertion into M-H, M-C, and M-O bonds.

Relevant to the latter process our research has addressed the utilization of carbon dioxide in the development of improved synthetic routes for the production of polycarbonates. The hazardous and expensive production process currently in place industrially for these materials involves the interfacial polycondensation of phosgene and diols, accentuates the need for these studies. Although we and others have made significant advances in the synthesis of these useful thermoplastics from carbon dioxide and epoxides much of the fundamental knowledge concerning the reaction kinetics of these processes is lacking, due in part to the practical challenges associated with sampling and analyzing systems at elevated temperatures and pressures. This information is needed for making this process applicable to the synthesis of a variety of copolymers possessing a range of properties and uses. Our studies are examining in detail the mechanistic aspects of metal catalyzed carbon dioxide/epoxide coupling reactions employing in situ spectroscopy methods. For this purpose Fourier-transform infrared attenuated total refluctance (FTIR/ATR) spectroscopy is being utilized. Other related investigations involve the development of structural and reactivity models for the industrially prevalent double metal cyanide catalysts(DMC) used in polyethers and polycarbonate synthesis from epoxides or CO2/epoxides, respectively.

Educational Background

B. S., 1964, California State University at Los Angeles

Ph. D., 1968, University of Illinois at Urbana

Awards & Recognition

  • SEC Faculty Achievement Award (2023)
  • Michele Aresta Prize in CO2 Utilization Research Award (ICCDU) 2022
  • Member, National Academy of Sciences (2022)
  • American Academy of Arts & Sciences Fellow (2019)
  • Member, Editorial Advisory Board of Journal of the American Chemical Society (2019-Present)
  • ACS Inorganic Award for Undergraduate Researcher - Tucker Folsom (student) and DJD (preceptor) (2018)
  • American Chemical Society Fellow (2017)
  • Texas A&M University, College of Science Undergraduate Mentoring Award (2016)
  • George A. Abbott Lecturer (University of North Dakota, 2015)
  • Richard F. Heck Award/Lecture (University of Delaware, 2014)
  • John C. Bailar, Jr. Medalist (University of Illinois, 2013)
  • Hans B. Jonassen Lectureship (Tulane University, 2013)
  • American Chemical Society Award in Inorganic Chemistry (2010)
  • 2010 ACS Inorganic Award Lecturer (Northwestern University)
  • Case Western Reserve Frontiers in Chemistry (2007)
  • Texas A&M University, Faculty Award for Distinguished Research (1990)
  • Texas A&M University, Distinguished Teaching Award (1988)

Selected Publications

  • 3D Printed CO2-Based Triblock Copolymers and Post-Printing Modification. Wei, P.; Bhat, G.A.; Cipriani, E.C.; Mohammad, H.; Schoonover, K.; Pentzer, E.B.; Darensbourg, D.J; Angew.Chem.Int.Ed. 2022, 61, e202208355. DOI:10.1002/anie.202208355
  • Amphiphilic Polycarbonate Micellar Rhenium Catalysts for Efficient Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction in Aqueous Media. Ren, F.-Y.; Chen, K.; Qiu, L-Q.; Chen, J.-M.; Darensbourg, D.J.; He, L.-N., Angew.Chem.Int.Ed. 2022, 61, e202200751. DOI: 10.1002/ange.202200751
  • Progress in the Catalytic Reactions of CO2 and Epoxides to Selectively Provide Cyclic or Polymeric Carbonates. Bhat, G.; Darensbourg, D.J., Green Chem. 2022, 24, 5007-5034 DOI:10.1039/D2GC00327A
  • Kinetic and Computational Analysis of CO Substitution in a Dinuclear Osmium Carbonyl Complex: Intersection between Dissociative and Dissociative-Interchange Mechanisms. Martinez, Z.M.; Folsom, T.M.; Tong, Y.; Archambeau, A.K.; Darensbourg, D.J; Hall, M.B; Powell, C.B; Powell, G.L.; Inorg.Chem. 2022, 61,1, 246-253 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c02797
  • TEMPO Containing Radical Polymonothiocarbonate Polymers with Regio- and Stereo-Regularities: Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrical Conductivity Studies. Bhat, G.A.; Rashad, A.Z.; Ji, X.; Quiroz, M.; Fang, L.; Darensbourg, D.J.; Angew.Chem.Int.Ed. 2021, 60, 20734-20738. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202108041