Andrew B. Bocarsly
Encyclopedia
Andrew B. Bocarsly is currently a professor at Princeton University
, New Jersey
. His primary research interests lie in physical inorganic chemistry. He has facilitated various scientific research in electrochemistry
, photochemistry, solids state chemistry and fuel cells.
with a double major in chemistry and physics (June 1976). There his research under the guidance of Professor John Gladysz involved metal Atom cocondensations for organometallic synthesis. In June 1980 he received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in physical inorganic chemistry. His thesis delved into the characterization and manipulation of charge transfer processes on semiconductors.
pollution causing global climate change. His graduate student Emily Barton picked up from where he left off and continued research of an electrochemical cell
that utilizes photovoltaic material as an electrode to tap into solar energy and transform carbon dioxide
into basic organic fuels. In 2008 Emily Barton published a selective conversion of carbon dioxide
to methanol
using a p-GaP semiconductor
electrode with homogeneous pyridinium
catalyst. Using solar energy, faradaic efficiencies reached near 100% for the conversion of carbon dioxide
to methanol
. In 2010 Emily Barton published her research on using pyridinium
and its substituted derivatives as an electrocatalyst
for aqueous multiple-electron, multiple-proton reduction of carbon dioxide
to many organic compounds such as formic acid
, formaldehyde
, and methanol
. This publication explained mechanistically how the electrocatalyst aided in reduction of carbon dioxide
. With Bocarsly's artificial photosynthesis
technology Liquid Light inc. was established with support from Redpoint Ventures. David Biello from Scientific American
has emphasized the need to recycle the greenhouse gas
carbon dioxide
into hydrocarbons in order to fuel civilization. He points out that Liquid Light inc. is currently trying to achieve a cheap, efficient and scalable method of carbon dioxide
conversion.
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. His primary research interests lie in physical inorganic chemistry. He has facilitated various scientific research in electrochemistry
Electrochemistry
Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution.If a chemical reaction is...
, photochemistry, solids state chemistry and fuel cells.
Education
Andrew B. Bocarsly graduated with a B.S., Magna Cum Laude, from University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
with a double major in chemistry and physics (June 1976). There his research under the guidance of Professor John Gladysz involved metal Atom cocondensations for organometallic synthesis. In June 1980 he received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in physical inorganic chemistry. His thesis delved into the characterization and manipulation of charge transfer processes on semiconductors.
Carbon Dioxide Conversion Research / Liquid Light inc.
In 2003 Andrew Bocarsly was deeply invested in his research to find a solution of carbon dioxideCarbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
pollution causing global climate change. His graduate student Emily Barton picked up from where he left off and continued research of an electrochemical cell
Electrochemical cell
An electrochemical cell is a device capable of either deriving electrical energy from chemical reactions, or facilitating chemical reactions through the introduction of electrical energy. A common example of an electrochemical cell is a standard 1.5-volt "battery"...
that utilizes photovoltaic material as an electrode to tap into solar energy and transform carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
into basic organic fuels. In 2008 Emily Barton published a selective conversion of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
to methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
using a p-GaP semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
electrode with homogeneous pyridinium
Pyridinium
Pyridinium refers to the cationic form of pyridine. This can either be due to protonation of the ring nitrogen or because of addition of a substituent to the ring nitrogen, typically via alkylation. The lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom of pyridine is not delocalized, and thus pyridine...
catalyst. Using solar energy, faradaic efficiencies reached near 100% for the conversion of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
to methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
. In 2010 Emily Barton published her research on using pyridinium
Pyridinium
Pyridinium refers to the cationic form of pyridine. This can either be due to protonation of the ring nitrogen or because of addition of a substituent to the ring nitrogen, typically via alkylation. The lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom of pyridine is not delocalized, and thus pyridine...
and its substituted derivatives as an electrocatalyst
Electrocatalyst
An electrocatalyst is a catalyst that participates in electrochemical reactions. Catalyst materials modify and increase the rate of chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. Electrocatalysts are a specific form of catalysts that function at electrode surfaces or may be the...
for aqueous multiple-electron, multiple-proton reduction of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
to many organic compounds such as formic acid
Formic acid
Formic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its chemical formula is HCOOH or HCO2H. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in the venom of bee and ant stings. In fact, its name comes from the Latin word for ant, formica, referring to its early...
, formaldehyde
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
, and methanol
Methanol
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...
. This publication explained mechanistically how the electrocatalyst aided in reduction of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
. With Bocarsly's artificial photosynthesis
Artificial photosynthesis
Artificial photosynthesis is a chemical process that replicates the natural process of photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen. The term is commonly used to refer to any scheme for capturing and storing the energy from sunlight in...
technology Liquid Light inc. was established with support from Redpoint Ventures. David Biello from Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
has emphasized the need to recycle the greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
into hydrocarbons in order to fuel civilization. He points out that Liquid Light inc. is currently trying to achieve a cheap, efficient and scalable method of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
conversion.
Professional Experience
- 1994–Present: Professor of Chemistry, Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- 1987-1994: Associate Professor of Chemistry, Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- 1980-1987: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
- 1976-1980: Graduate Research Assistant, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
- 1973 - 1975: Laboratory Assistant, University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
Awards
- President's Undergraduate Research Fellowship UCLA (1975)
- Sigma Pi SigmaSigma Pi SigmaSigma Pi Sigma is the National Physics Honor Society. It strives to promote physics at all stages, to promote fraternity between those who excel at physics, and to promote service among its members. It is closely associated with the Society of Physics Students .- External links :*...
- National Physics Honor Society - DuPontDuPontE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
Young Faculty Grant (1980) - The Camille and Henry Dreyfus FoundationThe Camille and Henry Dreyfus FoundationThe Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation is a New York City-based foundation founded in 1946 by chemist and investor Camille Dreyfus in honour of his brother, Henry Dreyfus...
Newly Appointed Faculty Grant (1980) - American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, EXXON Solid State Chemistry Fellowship (1984) - Alfred P. SloanAlfred P. SloanAlfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
Fellow (1986–1988)
Associations
- Liquid Light Inc.
- American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
- The Electrochemical SocietyThe Electrochemical SocietyThe Electrochemical Society is a learned society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry and solid-state science and technology. It was founded in 1902 as the American Electrochemical Society...
- Princeton Section, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, Secretary-Treasurer, 1992 - Princeton Section, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, Chairman, 1994 - Princeton Section, American Chemical SocietyAmerican Chemical SocietyThe American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
, Education Outreach Chair and - Director of “Hands on Chemistry” Workshops 1992–present
- Quest K-6 Science Outreach Professor 1996-1998
- Associate Editor, Methods in Materials Research: A Current Protocols Pub.
- National Science FoundationNational Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Advisory Panel to E=mc2, Elem. Science Ed. - Director, Princeton Partners in Science Program
- NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, Mars Oxidation Experiment Science Team (1997–1998)
General references/External Links
- Bocarsly Group
- Liquid Light inc.
- Selective Solar-Driven Reduction of CO2 to Methanol Using a Catalyzed p-GaP Based Electrochemical Cell // Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Using a One-Electron Shuttle for the Multielectron Reduction of CO2 to Methanol: Kinetic, Mechanistic, and Structural Insights // Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Reverse Combustion: Can CO2 Be Turned Back into Fuel? // Scientific American
- The Value of CO2 // Chemical & Engineering News
- Celebrate Princeton Invention: Andrew Bocarsly // News at Princeton
- Stimulus Grants Top $31 Million Princeton Alumni Weekly
- CO2 to Fuels // WV Coal Research and Development
- Making Methanol from Carbon Dioxide and Sunlight // Chemical & Engineering News