Researcher Challenges Nature By Creating Original Molecules

At the age of 34, Associate Professor of Chemistry N. John Cooper has already done what nature has been unable to do for millions of years.

Cooper's specialty is constructing completely original molecules, each with a host of new properties. In particular he deals with bonding carbon atoms onto metal atoms, a process which until recently was considered a scientific impossibility.

"We're continually trying to tease nature into doing new things for us," says Cooper, described by colleagues as one of today's brightest young inorganic chemists. "There is a received wisdom that you cannot do some things, but when you lose your prejudices, you can do some amazing things."

That's why industry is looking very closely at Cooper's work. Polyethylene, a resin used to make kitchenware and a wide variety of containers, is a substance which was developed in laboratories. Cooper's research similarly holds open a host of practical and potentially lucrative applications in plastics and other chemical fields.

"If you can control and use this type of chemistry, there are a host of polymers and pharmaceuticals that you could make." says Steve Lippard of MIT. "Its an area of considerable long term importance to mankind," he adds.

Cooper's current research on carbons proves his importance. Carbon is a key ingredient in gasoline and plastics, and carbon dioxide is one of ten most abundant potential sources of carbon; by attaching a stable carbon dioxide molecule to a metal center, a new substance is created which in principle may be used as a carbon source, and hence a potential energy source.

Through creating such new molecules, Cooper is creating what may eventually be an integral part of a chemical reaction that would produce a petroleum substitute.

Lippard says, "Sooner or later when the last drops of oil are consumed, society will have a need for converting and products of combustion to fuel, pharmaceuticals and other products."

A simplified version of one of his experiments might run as follows: after considering the type of molecule he might potentially form, Cooper "mixes" the base molecules under certain specified temperatures.

"Its a lot like a witches brew," Glen Miller, a graduate student in Cooper's laboratory, says. "We make a model of what we think are the active parts and we design the catalyst."

While there is a potentially unlimited number of new molecules that might be created, Cooper says there is little randomness in selecting what he will create. Essentially, he says, he tries to create substances that previous scientific theory said was impossible to create.

For instance, he says, "As recently as 15 years ago, a bond between a metal and a carbon atom wasn't considered possible. People said it would be too weak. But the rules have changed and new ideas are forming rapidly."

"Not every molecule is interesting," Cooper adds. He says he selects perspective new molecules by "first packing and thinking a lot. It's like a large puzzle. We're continuously refining our ideas against the tools of nature."

Yet, he says of the dozens of new molecules he has created in the past 11 years--most of which involve bonding carbon to different types of metals--"All have been interesting, and all have their own personality."

Despite the potential for commercial gains, Cooper says his primary goal is "to understand how nature works."

"We are more concerned with ideas than applications," Cooper says. "In discovering unknown substances, we have a way to understand nature's rules. We must understand why the new molecules behave differently."CrimsonWigo L. GerclaN. JOHN COOPER