Associate Professor     Ph. D., Colorado State Univ.     Physical Inorganic Chemistry   The Rack research group is interested in the design and characterization of inorganic molecules with specified electronic structure demands for applications in energy storage, solar energy conversion and electron transfer. A major thrust of our group focuses on the preparation and examination of molecular photochromic and electrochromic compounds. Typically, our strategy employs molecules exhibiting Charge-Transfer (CT) photochemistry, an isomerizable ligand, and a metal atom capable of one electron redox chemistry. The remaining ligands modulate the spectroscopic properties of the complex. The mode of action in these complexes is an electron-transfer triggered linkage isomerization which results in a dramatic change in both the absorption spectrum and the reduction potential of these complexes. Typical characterization techniques in the group are electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, UV-vis absorption, variable-temperature emission (steady-state and time resolved) and transient absorption spectroscopy as well as other instrumentation for routine analysis (NMR, IR, X-ray crystallography). While we are ultimately interested in device applications for these compounds, our initial interest is in the design of photochromic and electrochromic compounds. As a result, many of the group members embrace an iterative synthesis and characterization approach in the design of target molecules.