Dr. Michael Kahlow, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Cytochrome bd oxidase of Thermoplasma acidophilum. With Mike Keenan, Karen Klyczek (Biology). We are studying the enzyme cytochrome bd oxidase (oxygen metabolic enzyme) from Thermoplasma acidophilum in an interdisciplinary project that includes cell growth, molecular biology, and protein purification and characterization.
Project 2 - Reaction of diiron enzymes with oxygen. With Professor Larry
Que (University of Minnesota). We are studying the reactions of diiron diamond
core enzymes with oxygen, to try to elucidate mechanism and identify intermediates.
This project involves some protein work, UV/Vis and Raman laser spectroscopy.
Dr. Michael Keenan, Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Isolation, purification, and characterization of cytochrome bd oxidase from Thermoplasma acidophilum.
Project 2 - Isolation, purification, and characterization of soluble phosphatases from Thermoplasma acidophilum.
Project 3 - Isolation and purification of succinate dehydrogenase activity from Thermoplasma acidophilum.
Project 4 - Kinetics of hydrolysis of p-nitrophenylbenzoates by esterases and lipases.
Project 5 - Isolation and purification of fluorescent jellyfish protein.
Dr. Sheue L. Keenan, Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Synthesis of methyl ketones by acetoacetic ester synthesis.
Project 2 - Allylic bromination of alkenes, an experiment for organic students.
Project 3 - Determination of the Hammett rho constant for the hydrolysis
of p-nitrophenyl benzoate esters.
Dr. Lisa C. Kroutil, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Determine whether DNA hairpins affect the mutation rate at repetitive sequences.
Project 2 - Develop a triplet repeat insertion assay and use it to study DNA copying errors in sequences relevant to a number of hereditary diseases, such as Huntington's chorea.
Project 3 - Work on developing demos and activities for freshman chemistry
and biochemistry lab.
Dr. Daniel Marchand, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Development of high resolution chromatographic methods for peptide and protein analysis.
Project 2 - Evaluation of chromatographic stationary phases: prolonged equilibria phenomenon.
Project 3 - Analysis of flavonids as topoisomerase II inhibitors.
Project 4 - Analysis of root exudate as the medium for plant/microbe
interaction.
Dr. K. W. McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Thermodynamic studies of phase transitions in semi-crystalline copolymers via differential scanning calorimetry.
Project 2 - Chemical kinetics studies of "semi-living" catalytic polymerizations.
Project 3 - Developing a graph-theoretical index to correlate molecular structure to the degree of branching in macromolecules, including dendrimers (i.e., trying to understand the physical chemistry of the glass transition in highly branched molecules).
Project 4 - Combinatorial problems in counting and classifying isomers,
and counting and classifying configurational states of macromolecules.
Dr. Barbara Nielsen, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Immediate - Set up an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber. Learn the mechanical aspects (i.e., how a vacuum pump works, building a gas manifold) of maintaining a chamber.
Project 2 - Design demonstrations/analogies for classroom use (i.e., ICP).
Project 3 - Design or modify experiments for an undergraduate analytical and instrumental chemistry lab.
Project 4 - Future - Design ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS)
experiments for an undergraduate instrumental analysis or p-chem lab.
Dr. Magdalena Pala, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Synthesis and characterization of metallocene complexes containing thiolate ligands.
Project 2 - Investigation of catalytic properties of metallocene thiolates in olefin polymerization.
Project 3 - Investigation of the antitumor properties of titanocene thiolates.
Project 4 - Oxygenation of sulfur in thiolate ligands of in metallocene
complexes; isolation and identification of oxidation products.
Dr. Karl Peterson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Development of asymmetric palladium(II)-catalyzed organic transformations using optically pure ligands derived from amino acids and chiral amines.
Project 2 - Development of a sophomore level organic laboratory experiment for the synthesis and characterization of narrow polydispersity polystyrene by free-radical polymerization.
Project 3 - Total synthesis of incarvillateine, a novel monoterpene
alkaloid from Incarvillea Sinensis that exhibits a strong antinociceptive effect.
Dr. David Rainville, Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Investigations of the Lewis acid-base characteristics of tellurium compounds. The tendency of TeCl4 to form TeCl5- in certain solvents suggests the possibility of utilizing TeCl4 in Freidel-Craft type reactions in place of the typical acid AlCl3.
Project 2 - Approaches to Novel Selenium and Tellurium containing heterocycles. The synthesis of chalcogen containing heterocycles with anthracene ring skeleton are proposed, however, many others are on the drawing board.
Project 3 - Charge-Transfer Complexes of Tellurium Heterocycles. Investigation of tellurium heterocycles or -base toward acceptor molecules such as 7,7,8,9-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ).
Project 4 - Triorganotelluronium salts in nonaqueous solvents. Study the nature of compounds such as (Ar)3TeX in solvents such as DMSO, DMF, etc.
Project 5 - Electrophilic substitution of boranes via selenium and tellurium reagents (SeCl4 and TeCl4). The synthesis of organyltellurium compounds including a vinyl telluride via organoboranes.
Project 6 - Isolation and characterization of humic and fulvic acids from local soils and studies of their bonding abilities with transition metals.
Project 7 - Stereochemistry of the addition of TeX4 to carbon-carbon
multiple bonds. This project involves some unique deuterium labelling and pnmr
studies.
Dr. Jeff Rosenthal, Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Surface Phase MicroExtraction (SPME) techniques for GCMS.
Project 2 - Handheld computer programming, computer (microcomputer)/chemical instrumentation interfacing.
Project 3 - FTNMR of boron and aluminum compounds.
Dr. David Rusterholz, Professor of Chemistry
Project 1 - Preparation of compounds related to capsaicin as potential
new analgesic agents.
Project 2 - Preparation of some compounds related to pellitorine.
Project 3 - Development of new NMR experiments for laboratory courses.
Project 4 - Exploration of methods for the alkylation of oxazolidinones
derived from proline.