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The works in this portfolio of original compositions cover a wide spectrum of genres, styles, approaches, and musical techniques. The aim was to demonstrate mastery of the various musical languages and techniques characteristic of each genre. The calculatedly low-fi 'alt.rock meets computer games' approach of the concept album They No Longer Sleep Alone is of folk-like simplicity, deliberately eschewing the various polishing processes available to producers now in the digital mastering situation. The intention was to preserve a naturalness of sound and song making. On the other hand, live electronic effects are utilized to expand the sonorities and textures obtained from a solo bassoon in The Effect of Bundled Sticks on Sounds. Today is the Tomorrow takes this idea further, being a completely electronic work mixing live musical performance (turntables) with pre-recorded sounds, these interacting with live video and prepared animation. De Feo, inspired by graffiti artists, was written for a virtuoso pair of performers in the unusual combination of alto saxophone and viola, with no electronics being required. The Big Fat Jazz Bastard Theme Song and Espacio were written for particular performers and approaches to music making, while Saturday Afternoon and Late Night Specials are film scores. Swamp Treasures and Bungamucka - the Alarmist were commissioned for theatrical productions and thus were designed to fulfil specific functions determined by the stage directors. By way of contrast, ...seconds unwind...generated noise...racecar... is an abstract work that utilizes the sophistication and subtleties of timbre, rhythm and texture available from a professional chamber orchestra.

An extensive study of disubstituted cycloalkanes like CnH2n where n=3,4,5 and 6 using DFT((U)B3LYP/6-31G(d) and 6-311+G(2df,2p)) calculations is presented focusing on the effect of pyramidalization of the radical center. A potential energy surface (PES) analysis shows that the radical prefers to pyramidalize anti to the two cis fluorines in the disubstituted cycloalkanes. The degree of pyramidalization for 1,2-difluorocyclopropyl radical is 43.9o away from the cis fluorines whereas for 1,3-difluorocyclobutyl radical, 1,3-difluorocyclopentyl radical and 1,3-difluorocyclohexyl radical is 3.8o, 5.4o and 14.5o respectively away from the cis fluorines. The importance of this pyramidality effect in these compounds is discussed in context with the carbon-hydrogen bond dissociation energies (BDE's) because the preference of the radical centers to pyramidalize anti to the fluorines affects the bond dissociation energy. Importance of steric effect and unfavorable electronic interactions have been extensively explored in planar permethylated cyclobutadiene (Me4CBD) and cyclooctatetraene (Me8COT) using ((U)B3LYP/6-31G(d) and 6-311+G(2df,2p)) calculations. It is thought that steric interactions dominate electronic interactions in Me8COT, while this works opposite in case of Me4CBT. Instead, in Me4CBD the number of unfavorable electronic interactions between π bonds and out-of-plane hydrogens plays the dominant role in determining the relative energies. Interactions between the π bonds of CBD and the out-of-plane hydrogens on carbons attached to the four-membered ring becomes very interesting when the ring size changes. With ethano bridge on the cyclobutadiene ring interaction with the diagonal bonds results in non-bonding AOs across the other diagonal having the opposite phase in the highest occupied (HO)MO. If the HOMO and LUMO are switched, bis-ethano-bridged tetrahedrane is formed. It is suggested that bis-ethano-bridged tetrahedrane is thermodynamically more stable than bis-ethano-bridged cyclobutadienes. While the reverse is true for unsubstituted cyclobutadienes. The ability of ethano bridges to reverse the usual order is because it causes the doubly-bonded carbons to pyramidalize.

Les cellules solaires à colorant (DSSC) sont une alternative sérieuse aux cellules à base de silicium. Le principe de fonctionnement repose sur la photosensibilisation d'un semi-conducteur par un colorant qui est en général un complexe polypyridinique du ruthénium (II). La modulation des propriétés de ces complexes permet d'optimiser les performances des cellules solaires correspondantes. Dans cette thèse, nous avons synthétisé et étudié l'effet de nouveaux ligands bipyridiniques à substituants électro-donneurs [pi]-délocalisés à base de dithiénylpyrroles (DTP). Ces motifs induisent, dans les complexes homoleptiques, bis- et tris-hétéroleptiques du Ru(II), des effets bathochromes (lorsque les motifs DTP sont liés par leur cycle thiophénique à la bipyridine) et d'importantes augmentations des coefficients d'extinction molaires. Les nouveaux composés ont été caractérisés par spectroscopies, électrochimie, photophysique et calcul théorique. Deux complexes hétéroleptiques ont été testés en cellule DSSC. Si la collecte de photons est excellente, les performances restent en dessous de celles de colorants de référence. Comme en attestent les courbes J/V et les courbes IPCE. Ce résultat peut-être dû à une limitation lors de l'injection dans la bande de conduction ou encore à une gêne stéréo-électronique provoquée par le ligand lors de la réduction du colorant oxydé (Ru(III) par le médiateur / Dye-sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) appear to be promising devices. Operation principle relies on the photosensitization of a wide-gap semiconductor with a dye, the latter typically being a polypyridinyl ruthenium(II) complex. Modulation of the properties of such complexes enables the optimization of the corresponding solar cells' performances. In the present work, we synthesized and investigated the effect of new bipyridine ligands bearing electron-donating dithienylpyrroles (DTP). These moieties induced red-shifts of the absorption spectra in homoleptic, bis- and tris-heteroleptic Ru(II) complexes especially when the DTP was bound by its thiophene unit to the bipyridine ligand. A notable increase of the molar extinction coefficients was also obtained. All new compounds have been characterized by using spectroscopic, electrochemical, photophysical and computational chemistry techniques. Two heteroleptic complexes have been tested in DSSCs. Despite excellent light harvesting properties, performances were found lower than those of standard dyes as revealed by J/V and IPCE curves. Stereoelectronic effects could be involved since the bulky DTP moiety could impede an efficient access of the mediator to Ru(III) centers

The alkyl substitution effects and the hybridization effects on the rate of coupling of adsorbed hydrocarbon groups on Ag(111) have been investigated under ultrahigh vacuum by temperature programmed reaction/desorption (TPR/D). For these two different issues, two types of halide precursors were used. One is to form adsorbed fragments bearing C£\(sp3) and C£\-H, the other is to yield adsorbed fragments with different hybridized £\-carbons without C£\-H. The desired hydrocarbon groups were generated on Ag(111) by the thermal dissociation of the C-X (X = I or Br) bond in the corresponding halogenated compounds. Substitution of alkyl for hydrogen in the adsorbed alkyl groups systematically raises the coupling temperature. For example, 3-pentyl groups homo-couple at temperatures ~ 70 K higher than the ethyl homo-coupling reaction. The concept of ¡§geminal repulsion¡¨ can account for our experimental results while the size and the number of the alkyl substitution groups increase. Different hybridized C£\ (metal-bonded carbon) species cause various angle strain energies in the cyclic transition state for the coupling reaction. The C£\(sp) species (CH3C¡ÝC(ad) and (CH3)3SiC¡ÝC(ad)) have rather high coupling temperatures (~ 460 K) due to the unidirectional sp orbital and the stronger Ag-C(sp) bond in the transition state. The relative rates for homo-coupling as a function of the hybridization of the metal-bound carbon follow the trend sp3 > sp2 > sp on the Ag(111) surface. Lastly, we found that the isobutyl groups undergo a £]-hydride elimination instead of homo-coupling on the Ag(111) surface. It may be due to that isobutyl groups have a total of nine £]-hydogens among all the hydrocarbon groups, which makes this rare reaction pathway possibly occur on Ag(111).

Electrocatalysis plays a vital role in the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy infrastructure. Bimetallic systems can provide enhanced electrocatalytic activity and/or selectivity due to their altered electronic and/or crystal structures. These two effects are the main parameters responsible for the enhancement of the catalytic properties of multi-metallic systems. In practice, they are often interrelated and can be difficult to distinguish from one another due to random distribution and segregation of the elements in substitutional alloys. With well-defined crystal and electronic structures, intermetallic compounds provide excellent platform materials for a knowledge-based approach aiming for the evaluation and optimization of structural and/or electronic effects in heterogeneous (electro) catalysis. The present PhD thesis focuses on the investigation of the correlations between electronic, geometric and electrocatalytic properties of anode materials in the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). This is achieved by substitution of indium (three valence electrons) with tin (four valence electrons) in the isostructural series In1-xSnxPd2, which allows for a systematic variation of the total number of electrons per unit cell with a minor variation of the cell parameters. Geometric effects were evaluated by substitution of indium with gallium in the isostructural Ga1-xInxPd2 series, which allows for a systematic variation of the cell parameters (interatomic distances) with the same number of valence electrons per unit cell. By substitution of gallium with tin in the Ga1-xSnxPd2 series, both effects are combined and addressed simultaneously. Single-phase samples of the isostructural series In1-xSnxPd2, Ga1-xInxPd2 and Ga1-xSnxPd2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), were synthesized and characterized by metallography, powder X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy to establish the phase composition and to determine the variation of the lattice parameters with composition. The MOR current densities show a distinct change in slop as the fraction of tin increases in the In1-xSnxPd2 series with a minimum at x = 0.8 which is attributed to the alteration of the electronic properties of the materials. For the GaxIn1-xPd2 series, the MOR current densities show a maximum at x = 0.5 which is attributed to the alteration of the structural properties of the materials. The Ga1-xSnxPd2 series shows two maxima at x = 0.15 and 0.93. The high activity at x = 0.15 and 0.93 is attributed to a synergy of simultaneous alteration of electronic and geometric influences and the catalytic properties. The results contribute to the knowledge-based development of catalytic materials with direct experimental evidence of fine-tuning of electronic and/or geometric influences using isostructural intermetallic compounds as platform materials. This provides a basis of model catalysts for further studies to advance fundamental, as well as applied research in catalysis for the development of a green, sustainable future for the new generations.

The β-acyloxyalkyl radical rearrangement has been known since 1967 but its mechanism is still not fully understood, despite considerable investigation. Since the migration of a β-trifluoroacetoxy group generally proceeds more rapidly and with more varied regiochemistry than its less electronegative counterparts, this reaction was studied in the hope of understanding more about the subtleties of the mechanism of the β- acyloxyalkyl radical rearrangement. The mechanism of the catalysed rearrangement of Nalkoxy- 2(1H)-pyridinethiones was also explored because preliminary studies indicated that the transition state (TS) for this process was isoelectronic with TSs postulated for the β-acyloxyalkyl radical and other novel rearrangements. ¶ A kinetic study of the rearrangement of the 2-methyl-2-trifluoroacetoxy-1-heptyl radical in solvents of different polarity was undertaken using a radical clock method. Arrhenius equations for the rearrangement in each solvent were: hexane, log10[kr (s-1)] = 11.8±0.3 – (48.9±0.7)/ θ; benzene, log10[kr (s-1)] = 12.0±0.2 – (43.7±0.8)/ θ; and propionitrile, log10[kr (s-1)] = 11.9±0.2 – (42.0±0.3)/ θ. Rate constants at 75˚C were: hexane, kr = 2.9 × 104; benzene, kr = 2.8 × 105; and propionitrile, kr = 4.0 × 105 s-1. The equilibrium constant for the reversible rearrangement at 80°C in benzene was 15.1 <K < 52.9. ¶ A regiochemical study with oxygen-labelled radicals revealed that trifluoroacetoxy group migration occurs with 66-83% label transposition (3,2 shift). The proportion of 3,2 shift is decreased by polar solvent, high temperature and low concentration of the reducing agent. Results of labelling experiments were consistent with cooperative 1,2 and 3,2 shifts, the former having Ea 9.5 kJmol-1 higher than the latter in benzene solution. ¶ An esr study of nine β-oxygenated radicals revealed that the temperaturedependent equilibrium conformation is controlled by a balance between steric and stereoelectronic effects. The influence of the latter is increased by electron-attracting β- substituents. Barriers to C α–C β rotation in β-oxyethyl radicals are approximately the same as for the propyl radical. Consequently, there is no significant through-space interaction between the β-substituent and the unpaired electron. ¶ Experimental results were consistent with a mechanism involving a combination of polarized 1,2 and 3,2 concerted shifts. The results may also be rationalised by the intermediacy of a contact ion pair, as well as combinations of the three options. ¶ The rearrangement of N-alkoxy-2(1H)-pyridinethiones is catalysed by oxidants, Lewis acids and protic acids. Pseudo first order kinetics are observed and there are moderate solvent effects. The migration of a 1,1-dideuteroallyl group occurs almost exclusively in a 1,4 sense. Migration of an enantiomerically enriched 1-phenylethyl group proceeds with predominant retention of configuration in chloroform, but with virtual racemisation in acetonitrile. Migrating groups do not become diffusively free during the rearrangement. Substituents which stablise positive charge at C1 migrate more rapidly. The bulk of evidence indicates that a catalyst activates the pyridinethione for rearrangement by promoting aromatisation. Mass-spectrometric analysis of an isolated intermediate and kinetic results are consistent with an intermolecular mechanism.

Ce mémoire traite de la chimie des complexes pinceurs de nickel (II) cationiques ayant un ligand de type POCOP. Elle se divise en deux parties. La première traite de la synthèse, de la caractérisation et de la réactivité des complexes cationiques pinceurs de Ni(II) de type POCOP (POCOP = 1,3-bis(phosphinitobenzene), où C fait partie d’un cycle benzénique et est lié au métal, et P est un ligand phosphoré aussi lié au métal). Ces complexes ont un ligand acétonitrile coordonné au centre métallique et sont du type [(R-POCOPR’)Ni(NCMe)][OSO2CF3], où R est un substituant du cycle benzénique et R’ est un substituant sur le ligand phosphoré (R’ = iPr: R = H (1), p-Me(2), p-OMe(3), p-CO2Me(4), p-Br(5), m,m-tBu2(6), m-OMe(7), m-CO2Me(8); R’ = t-Bu : R = H (9), p-CO2Me(10)). Les complexes cationiques sont préparés en faisant réagir le dérivé Ni(II) neutre correspondant R-(POCOPR’)Ni-Br avec Ag(OSO2CF3¬) dans l’acétonitrile à température ambiante. L’impact des groupements R et R’ du ligand POCOP sur la structure et sur les propriétées électroniques du complexe a été étudié par spectroscopies RMN, UV-VIS et IR, analyse électrochimique, et diffraction des rayons X. Les valeurs de fréquence du lien C≡N (ν(C≡N)) augmentent avec le caractère électroattracteur du complexe, dans l’ordre 7 < 3 ~ 2 ~ 6 < 1 < 5 ~ 8 < 4 et 9 < 10. Ces résultats sont en accord avec le fait qu’une augmentation du caractère électrophile du centre métallique devrait résulter en une augmentation de la donation σ MeCN→Ni. De plus, les complexes cationiques montrent tous un potentiel d’oxydation Ni(II)/Ni(III) plus élevé que leurs analogues neutres Ni-Br. Ensuite, une étude d’équilibre entre un complexe neutre (R-POCOPR’)NiBr et un complexe cationique [(R-POCOPR’)Ni(NCMe)][OSO2CF3] démontre l’échange facile des ligands MeCN et Br. La deuxième partie de ce mémoire consiste en deux chapitres. Le premier (Chapitre 3) est une étude structurelle permettant une meilleure compréhension du mécanisme d’hydroamination des oléfines activées promue par les complexes présentés au chapitre 1, suivi de tentatives de synthèse de nouveaux composés POCOP cationiques comportant un ligand amine et nitrile, et de déplacement du groupement amine par un groupement nitrile. Le deuxième chapitre (4) décrit la réactivité et la cinétique de la réaction d’hydroamination et d’hydroalkoxylation d’oléfines activées, qui permet ainsi de mieux comprendre l’impact des différentes variables du système (groupements R et R’, température, substrats, solvent, etc.) sur la réactivité catalytique. / This thesis describes the chemistry of nickel (II) cationic pincer complexes bearing a POCOP ligand. The content is divided into two parts. The first part (chapter 2) concerns the synthesis, characterization and reactivities of nickel (II) cationic POCOP pincer complexes with an acetonitrile ligand coordinated to the metal center via the nitrile moiety, [(R-POCOPR’)Ni(NCMe)][OSO2CF3] where R is a ring substituent and R’ is a P-substituent (R’ = iPr : R = H (1), p-Me(2), p-OMe(3), p-CO2Me(4), p-Br(5), m,m-tBu2(6), m-OMe(7), m-CO2Me(8); R’ = t-Bu : R = H (9), p-CO2Me(10)). The cationic complexes are synthetized by reacting the neutral nickel (II) bromide derivatives R-(POCOPR’)Ni-Br with Ag(OSO2CF3) in acetonitrile at room temperature. The impact of R and R’ groups of the POCOP ligand on the structure and electronic proprieties of the complexes has been studied by NMR, UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy, as well as by single crystal x-ray diffraction studies and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The observed ν(C≡N) values were found to increase with the increasing electron-withdrawing nature of R, i.e., in the order 7 < 3 ~ 2 ~ 6 < 1 < 5 ~ 8 < 4 and 9 < 10. This trend is consistent with the anticipation that enhanced electrophilicity of the nickel center should result in an increase in net MeCN→Ni σ-donation. It is also interesting to note that all cationic complexes show a much higher Ni(II)/Ni(III) oxidation potential than their neutral Ni-Br analogues. Following this, an equilibrium study is presented that shows the facile exchange of the MeCN/Br ligands between the charge-neutral and cationic complexes (R-POCOPR’)NiBr and [(R-POCOPR’)Ni(NCMe)][OSO2CF3]. The second part of this thesis consists of two chapters describing, respectively, structural studies that are relevant to our understanding of the mechanism of hydroamination reactions promoted by the title complexes (chapter 3), and reactivity and kinetic studies aimed at understanding the impact of different variables (R and R’; temperature; substrates; solvent; etc.) on the Michael-type hydroamination and hydroalkoxylation of acrylonitrile and its substituted derivatives (chapter 4). Chapter 3 will also discuss the attempted synthesis of new amine and nitrile POCOP cationic and neutral complexes, as well as the facile displacement of the amine moiety by a nitrile.