Benedito dos Santos Lima Neto

Professor of Chemistry at the RDIDP of the University of São Paulo since 1988, at the Chemistry Institute of São Carlos. He became a Full Professor in 2000 in the field of Inorganic Chemistry, after being appointed Associate Professor. He is currently at level 3. His research primarily focuses on coordination chemistry for molecular activation via homogeneous catalysis. His work involves the synthesis, characterization, and thermal and photochemical studies of metal complexes in low oxidation states, such as manganese(I), ruthenium(II), and rhodium(I), with a particular emphasis on developing carbene complexes for the metathesis of cyclic and acyclic olefins, which can be manipulated under ambient conditions. He also develops monomers of cyclic olefins functionalized with triglycerides and fatty acids to create hybrid polymers with alternative rheological characteristics. Additionally, he works on metallo-monomers with polypyridine ligands, functionalized with fatty acids, for polymers that serve as probes or for the capture of pollutants, such as gases and dyes. His research includes the development of metallo-organic frameworks (MOFs) for gas and/or dye capture, using ligand compounds recovered from plastics. He is also involved in the activation of carboxylic acids for the production of molecular hydrogen.He holds a Bachelor's and a Licentiate degree in Chemistry from the Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters of Ribeirão Preto - USP (1983). During his undergraduate studies, he completed scientific internships with Elia Tfouni (1982), focusing on the separation of rare earth salts, and with José Fernando de Andrade (1983), studying the hydrolysis reactions of iron (II and III) salts, which led to his final course monograph. He earned a Master of Science in Physical Chemistry from the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of São Carlos - USP (1987), under the supervision of Douglas W. Franco, studying the kinetics and reaction mechanisms of ruthenium(II) tetraamine complexes. He completed his PhD in Chemistry at the same institution (1991), also under the supervision of Douglas W. Franco. During his PhD, he completed a sandwich doctorate at the Chemistry Department of the University of California at Santa Barbara (1989-1990), supervised by Peter C. Ford, studying water gas shift reactions in continuous flow catalyzed by rhodium(I) and ruthenium(II) complexes.In 1991, he attended the Training Course on Organometallic Chemistry: Basics for Catalysis, organized by the International Center for Pure and Applied Chemistry at IVIC, Venezuela. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany (1992), with Rudi van Eldik, studying the reaction mechanisms of ruthenium(II) tetraamine complexes by measuring activation volumes. He also completed a postdoctoral internship at CALTECH, Pasadena, CA, USA, with Robert H. Grubbs (1996-1997), focusing on olefin metathesis reactions catalyzed by ruthenium(II) and manganese(I) complexes.He has supervised 30 Master's students, 23 PhD students, and numerous undergraduate research projects. He is involved in the Pré-IC/USP-CNPq Program and has published approximately 100 articles, including 81 in peer-reviewed journals indexed in scientific databases and 19 in popular science publications. His administrative and managerial activities are significant, with active participation in several committees and representative roles. He has served as Head of the Department for five two-year terms. He also coordinated the IQSC Alumni Project for many years, conceptualizing and implementing it, and chaired the Training and Development Committee for IQSC technical and administrative staff, during which he structured the committee and implemented various actions. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)