Catherine M. Oertel,

Research Interests:
"Synthesis of inorganic-organic materials, studies of composition and corrosion in organ pipes and other cultural materials"

Research in the Oertel lab is in the area of inorganic materials chemistry, with projects focusing on both synthesis of new materials and conservation of historic materials. We synthesize hybrid inorganic-organic network compounds, in which metal centers are linked by ditopic organic ligands. Building blocks for these materials are selected with the goal of preparing functional materials by incorporating catalytically active sites or low-symmetry components. Solvothermal reactions, in which reagent mixtures are heated in sealed containers to above the normal boiling points of their solvents, are used to promote crystal growth. Compounds are characterized on campus by powder X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis and are studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction through off-campus collaborations.
A second, interdisciplinary area of research uses methods of materials chemistry to study the causes and mechanisms of corrosion of historic organ pipes. We use exposure chambers to expose representative metal samples to corrosive conditions and study the corrosion product compositions and morphologies by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. This project has the goal of obtaining information that can be used by organ builders and restorers to conserve historic organ pipes and prevent corrosion in new ones. 

Teaches:
Inorganic Chem, General Chem, Synthesis Laboratory

BA, Oberlin
PhD, Cornell

Representative Works

• C.M. Oertel, R.D. Sweeder, S. Patel, C.M. Downie, F. J. DiSalvo, "Synthesis and Characteriztion of Hydrogen-Bonded Assemblies of W₆S₈L₆ Clusters," Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44, 2287-2296.
• C.M. Oertel, L.L. Rayburn, S. Jin, F.J. DiSalvo, "Monotopic Binding Modes for Ditopic Ligands: Synthesis and Characterization of W₆S₈L₆ (L= 4,4^l -bipyridine, bis (diphenylphosphino)ethane)) Cluster Compounds," C.R.Chimie 2005, 8, 1779-1788.
• S. Jin, F. Popp, S.W. Boettcher, M. Yuan, C.M. Oertel, F.J. DiSalvo, "Synthesis, Characterization, and Properties of Mo₆S₈(4-tert-butyl-pyridine)₆and Related M₆S₈L₆ Cluster Complexes," J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 2002, 16, 3096-3100.