Contact Information
University of Illinois
A526 CLSL, Box 4-6
600 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Areas
Additional Campus Affiliations
Janet and William H. Lycan Professor, School of Chemical Sciences
Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Biography
Professor Girolami received his B.S. degrees in chemistry and physics from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Thereafter, he was a NATO postdoctoral fellow with Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson at Imperial College of Science and Technology, and joined the Illinois faculty in 1983.
Research Interests
synthesis of transition metal complexes and their use as catalysts, as precursors for the chemical vapor deposition of thin films, and as building blocks for novel magnetic materials; metal-organic chemical vapor deposition; organometallic chemistry and catalysis; synthesis of new molecular magnets
Research Description
We are primarily interested in the synthesis, properties, and reactivity of new inorganic, organometallic, and solid state species. Much of our research relates to one of four areas: mechanistic studies of organometallic reactions such as the activation of alkanes, the synthesis of new "molecule-based" magnetic materials, the chemical vapor deposition of thin films from "designed" molecular precursors, and the design of an artificial photosynthetic center.
Honors & Awards
Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award
Sloan Foundation Fellowship
Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
University Scholar Award
Recent Publications
Caroff, C. M., & Girolami, G. S. (2023). Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of Steric and Electronic Substituent Effects in a Series of Magnesium Aminodiboranates Mg[(BH3)2NMeR]2. Inorganic Chemistry, 62(7), 3116-3122. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c03963
Girolami, G. S. (2023). Margaret Bryan: Newly Discovered Biographical Information about the Author of A Compendious System of Astronomy (1797). Notes and Records of the Royal Society. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsnr.2022.0052
Caroff, C. M., Bellott, B. J., Daly, C. I., Daly, S. R., Dunbar, A. C., Mallek, J. L., Nesbit, M. A., & Girolami, G. S. (2022). Sodium Aminodiboranates Na(H3BNR2BH3): Structural and Spectroscopic Studies of Steric and Electronic Substituent Effects. Inorganic Chemistry, 61(46), 18412-18423. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c01997
Caroff, C. M., & Girolami, G. S. (2022). Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Volatile Lanthanide Dialkyltriazenides. Inorganic Chemistry, 61(42), 16740-16749. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c02545
Daly, S. R., Bellott, B. J., McAlister, D. R., Horwitz, E. P., & Girolami, G. S. (Accepted/In press). Pr(H3BNMe2BH3)3and Pr(thd)3as Volatile Carriers for Actinium-225. Deposition of Actinium-Doped Praseodymium Boride Thin Films for Potential Use in Brachytherapy. Inorganic Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c00442