CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
The 2002-2003 year was the second year of our gradual
transition to a new curriculum. We’ve now completely restructured our
introductory level courses, and will begin the process of making the transition
in our upper level curriculum as well in the coming academic year. This has
been a challenging and exciting process for us all (learning the new upper level
course numbers may present the biggest challenge of all!). We will be very
interested to see how the changes we have put into place affect our
students’ progression through our major; we’re excited about the
prospects and looking forward to getting feedback from our students.
We were very pleased to welcome several new faces to the
Chemistry Department this year: Amy Gehring (’94), Dieter Bingemann, and
George “Tony” Truran all joined our department this year. Tony
Truran’s position in the department is a new one. He is serving as a
half-time laboratory instructor in our organic and introductory courses, as well
as providing us with some much-needed technical support in our upper level
laboratory courses. All three have gotten off to a strong start, and
we’re very happy to have them join us. On a sadder note, Assistant
Professor Joe Chihade, who was on his AP leave this year, has informed us of his
resignation. He will be accepting a tenure-track appointment at Carleton
College beginning next year. Chihade has been an active and productive member
of our department and he will be missed. We wish him the very best of luck in
his future endeavors. Though we are sorry to see Chihade leave, we are grateful
for the opportunity to welcome Professor Hodge Markgraf back to our department
as a visiting faculty member for one year. Professor Markgraf will teach
Organic Chemistry: Intermediate Level
(CHEM 251) in fall 2003, and Heterocyclic
Chemistry (CHEM 246), a course for which he plans to develop an entirely
new lab program, in the spring of next year. We are all excited to welcome him
back to the department yet again, and are thrilled that a new crop of students
will have the opportunity to learn from such an inspiring and energetic
teacher.
This year we continued to participate in the lectureship
program under the sponsorship of the Class of 1960 Scholars Program. Three
distinguished scientists were invited to campus to meet with our students and
present a seminar. Professor Michael Doyle of the University of Arizona,
Professor Paul Wender of Stanford University and Professor Katja Lindenberg of
the University of California-San Diego were the 1960 Scholar speakers this year.
Twelve students were selected by the faculty to be Class of 1960 Scholars during
2003 and to participate in the seminar program which includes: a preliminary
meeting with the Scholars and Chemistry Department faculty member to discuss
some of the papers of the seminar speaker; attendance at the seminar/discussion;
and an opportunity for further discussion with the seminar speaker at an
informal reception or dinner. The students selected for 2003-04 are:
Class of 1960 Scholars in Chemistry
Victoria Bock |
Georgina Calderon |
Daniel Calnan |
Jenica Chambers |
Adrian Dowst |
Jennifer Foss-Feig |
Jeffrey Ishizuka |
Charles Jakobsche |
Gerald Lindo |
Arthur Okwesili |
Steven Scroggins |
Edward Wydysh |
Over the course of the year, as is our tradition, a
number of awards were presented to chemistry students for outstanding
scholarship. Gillian Sowden ’06, Ashleigh Theberg ’06 and Hang
“Grace” Song ’06 received the CRC Awards as the outstanding
students in CHEM 151, CHEM 153, and CHEM 155 respectively. Anthony Gulati
’04 and Marie-Adele Sorel ’05 were recognized for their achievements
in organic chemistry with the Polymer Chemistry Award and the Harold H. Warren
Prize respectively. Steven Scroggins ’04 won the American Chemistry
Society Analytical Division Award, while the American Chemistry Society
Connecticut Valley Section Award for sustained scholastic excellence went to
Jason Leith ’03. Finally, the American Institute of Chemists Student
Award for outstanding scholastic achievement was awarded to Alison Peet
’03.
At Class Day activities before graduation, the John Sabin
Adriance Prize was awarded to Erica C. Dwyer ’03 as the senior chemistry
major who maintained the highest rank in all courses offered by the department.
In addition, during Class Day, Kudawashe Mutyambizi ’03 was announced as
recipient of the Leverett Mears Prize in recognition of outstanding scholastic
achievement. The James F. Skinner Prize, for achieving a distinguished record
in chemistry and showing promise for teaching and scholarship, was presented to
Jennifer L. Roizen ’03.
During the summer of 2003, 35 Williams College chemistry
majors were awarded research assistantships to work in the laboratories of
departmental faculty. In addition, two students were selected to participate in
summer research programs established between our department and the University
of Leiden and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Assistant Professor Dieter Bingemann joined the Chemistry
Department in July 2002 after working as an Assistant Scientist at the
University of Wisconsin in Madison. During the fall semester, Professor
Bingemann taught Concepts of Chemistry:
Advanced Section (CHEM 153), and in the spring
Physical Chemistry: Structure and
Dynamics (CHEM 302), the second semester of the physical chemistry
sequence. His research is focused on the dynamics in heterogeneous systems,
such as supercooled liquids or polymers. Professor Bingemann started setting up
his new lab with the able help of Alison Peet ’03. Alison advanced the
lab rapidly from unpacking shipping crates toward the successful observation of
a single molecule using fluorescence microscopy. Single molecule spectroscopy
will be used as the main tool to investigate heterogeneities in this lab in the
future. This work will continue this summer with the help of Noah Capurso
’05 and John Harris ’05, as well as Gerry Lindo ’04 as a
thesis student in the upcoming academic year.
Laurel Hensley '03, Professor Dieter Bingemann, and
Professor Jay Thoman at the 225th National Meeting of the American Chemical
Society in New Orleans (April 2003).
In spring of 2003, Professor Bingemann attended the
annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans. He also
presented a “Science Lunch” talk in the spring and acted as a
reviewer for the Journal of Chemical
Physics.
Professor Raymond Chang Professor Raymond Chang continues
to serve on the editorial board of The
Chemical Educator. He team-taught
Current Topics in Chemistry (CHEM 155),
in the fall semester with Professor Peacock-López, who was the organizer
of the course.
Assistant Professor Joe Chihade enjoyed a sabbatical year
working with Karin Musier-Forsyth at the University of Minnesota continuing his
research on aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. These crucial enzymes ensure the
accurate translation of the genetic code by linking amino acids only to tRNAs
bearing the correct anticodons. Chihade built on work carried out at Williams by
Daniel Clayburgh ’01 and Alix Partnow ’02 on the alanyl-tRNA
synthetases that function in mitochondria of humans and the nematode worm
C. elegans. These two enzymes, though
closely related, use strikingly different strategies to recognize their RNA
substrates. In the Musier-Forsyth lab, Chihade has also begun new work on the
ability of prolyl-tRNA synthetase to fix its mistakes by removing amino acids
from incorrectly charged tRNAs. Back in Williamstown, Kevin Hsueh ’03
worked on a collaborative project with Professor Wendy Raymond in the Biology
Department to characterize a protein of unknown function that interacts
genetically with the RNA modification enzyme
PUS4.
In July, Chihade accompanied Kristen LeChevet ’02
to the Beckman Scholars Symposium in Newport Beach, where she presented her work
on site-specific derivatization of RNAs. On a mission to see more than one
Newport, Chihade also attended the Gordon Conference on Nucleic Acids at Salve
Regina University in Rhode Island in the spring, where he presented a poster on
the mitochondrial alanyl-tRNA synthetases.
Assistant Professor Amy Gehring joined the Chemistry
Department in July 2002. In the fall, Professor Gehring taught
Biochemistry I - Structure and Function of
Biological Molecules (CHEM 321), in the spring semester, she taught
Enzyme Kinetics and Reaction Mechanisms
(CHEM 310), and along with Professor Lovett, team-taught
Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology (CHEM 406). Working with honors students Erica Dwyer ’03
and David Lewis ’03, Professor Gehring conducted research directed towards
understanding the regulation of differentiation and concurrent antibiotic
production in the model bacterial organism
Streptomyces coelicolor. Also
contributing to this research were Winter Study students Ian McCormick ’03
and Virginia Newman ’04 and research assistant Nadria Gordon ’06.
Professor Gehring also began a collaboration with Professor Richardson in the
Chemistry Department to isolate and identify a polyketide natural product
produced by a mutant strain of S.
coelicolor; independent study student Alison Stewart ’03 and
research assistant Chris Thom ’06 participated in this work.
In other news, Professor Gehring gave birth to her first
child, Olivia, in May 2003. After a few weeks of needed rest, Professor Gehring
will be back working with summer research student Ian McCormick ’03.
Professor Lawrence J. Kaplan (<
http://www.williams.edu/Chemistry/lkaplan/>)
was on a mini-sabbatical in the fall 2002. He was an adjunct visiting professor
at the University of Central Florida. He worked with colleagues in the UCF
Chemistry Department and the National Center for Forensic Science as well as
colleagues at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He continues to
administer the Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences (CWCS; <
http://chemistry.gsu.edu/CWCS/>)
along with the co-directors. CWCS, established with a $1.85 million grant from
the National Science Foundation, sponsors many workshops including
Metals in
Biology,
Chemistry and Art,
Environmental Chemistry,
Computational and Theoretical
Chemistry,
Molecular Genetics,
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
and
Forensic Science.
The response to Kaplan’s forensic science workshop
was so high that he taught two five-day workshops during the summer of 2002 at
Williams. The workshops provide an understanding of the application of forensic
science to all aspects of undergraduate chemistry instruction. Sixteen
participants from colleges and universities as well as community colleges became
criminalists for each week. They processed crime scenes and analyzed evidence
such as glass and soil, fibers and fingerprints, drugs and alcohol, blood and
bullets, and, of course, DNA. This summer, due to overwhelming demand again,
Kaplan will be conducting two weeklong sessions of the workshop.
In conjunction with colleagues from a number of
departments, Kaplan taught in the introductory course in the new Legal Studies
Program. The course Processes of
Adjudication (LGST 101) provides a multidisciplinary overview of how
disputes are resolved within specific social systems. Kaplan taught the unit on
evidence and the admissibility of scientific evidence. In recognition of his
contributions to forensic science and forensic science education in particular,
Kaplan was promoted to full member in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences
at their 55th annual meeting in February.
Professor Charles Lovett continued to serve as Director
of the Science Center, Chair of the Science Executive Committee, Chair of the
Divisional Research Funding Committee, and Director of the Summer Science
Program for Minority Students.
Professor Lovett continued his research on the mechanism
of ComK-mediated regulation of the recA
gene in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis
supported by a $330,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Last summer
Williams College students Pamela Choi ’05, Candice Li ’05,
Nosirudeen Quadri ’03, Ila Sheren ’05, and Kamille Williams
’03 worked on this research as full-time research assistants. Also
participating in this research and providing invaluable assistance was Thomas
O’Gara, now in his fifteenth year as research technician in the Lovett
lab. During the academic year, Professor Lovett directed Marsha Lynch ’03
and Kamille Williams ’03 as independent research students and Kuda
Mutyambizi ’03 as a senior honor student working on the ComK project.
Professor Lovett also directed students Nora Au ’03, Sean Margolis
’04, Nora Matell ’06, and Emily Wasserman ’06 in a winter
study research project aimed at characterizing ComK DNA binding mutants.
Last summer, Professor Lovett taught the Chemistry
lectures component of the Williams College Summer Science Program for Minority
Students. Together with Professor David Richardson, he also supervised the fifth
year of science camp for elementary school students and teachers.
In the fall semester, Professor Lovett taught
Concepts of Chemistry (CHEM 151), and
in the spring semester AIDS: The Disease and
Search for a Cure (CHEM 115). He also team-taught,
Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology (CHEM 406), with Professor Gehring.
Professor Lovett coordinated the formation of a new
curricular program in Bioinformatiics, Genomics, and Proteomics (BiGP) and
submitted a proposal to the Sherman Fairchild Foundation for $500,000 to support
the development of the program.
During the past year, Professor Lovett served as a
reviewer for Molecular Microbiology,
the Journal of Bacteriology, and the
Journal of Biological Chemistry. He
also served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation Biological
Sciences Division, and as a consultant for the Sherman Fairchild
Foundation’s Scientific Equipment Grant Program.
Professor
emeritus J. Hodge Markgraf supervised
the honors thesis of Patrick W. Zimmerman ’03. The focus of their work
was a new method of preparing benzocanthinones, which are pentacyclic alkaloids
with antibacterial properties. This summer three students will continue this
project and extend the methodology to a new route to sampangines, which are
naturally-occurring tetracyclic alkaloids with antimalarial and cytotoxic
properties. During the spring semester Salem Fevrier ’05 worked part-time
on a project related to new analogs of tacrine, a compound used in the treatment
of Alzheimer’s disease. Professor Markgraf served as a reviewer for the
Journal of Organic Chemistry and
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry
Research.
Professor Lee Park returned from a semester’s leave
in the fall, and took over as chair of the Chemistry Department. In the fall,
she taught Inorganic and Organometallic
Chemistry (CHEM 305), and in the spring team-taught
Instrumental Methods of Analysis (CHEM
304), with Professor Jay Thoman, as well as a laboratory section in
Organic Chemistry: Introductory Level
(CHEM 156). During Winter Study, she taught Science for Kids with Jenna
MacIntire.
Park has enjoyed a fairly productive year in terms of
progress on a variety of research projects; she had four students involved in
her lab over the year, and anticipated three publications based on work
completed during this time. Her research has been supported by a $161,000
NSF-RUI grant. During the summer of 2002, two students, Steve Scroggins
’04 and Teddy McGehee ’05, were the first two students to
participate in a newly established collaborative summer research program with
faculty in the Chemistry Department at RPI. They worked with Professors Yvonne
Akpalu and Chang Ryu for the first several weeks of the summer, then returned to
Williams and worked in Park’s lab for another five weeks. In Park’s
lab, they worked on synthesizing and characterizing a series of metallomesogenic
complexes using a bipyridyl ligand system developed by Carrie Jones ’02
and Susan Fulmer ’02, the previous year. They were able to extend the use
of these bipyridyl ligands to Fe(II), Mn(II), and Co(II). A manuscript that
includes their summer research efforts is currently in preparation.
Both Steve and Teddy returned to Park’s lab during
Winter Study. Steve worked with another Winter Study research student, Beth
Landis ’05, on developing an experiment for use in CHEM 305. This project
was written up (with Professor Mark Schofield) and has been accepted for
publication in The Chemical Educator.
Over Winter Study, Teddy worked on characterizing a series of donor-acceptor
mesogenic complexes that are the basis of an on-going collaboration with
Professor Darren Hamilton at Mt. Holyoke College. This work was presented as a
poster at the National ACS meeting in New Orleans, and is the basis of another
manuscript that is currently in preparation.
Laurel Hensley ’03, returned to Park’s lab
over the academic year as an honors student. Laurel’s work involved
wrapping up some of the bipyridyl ligand-related work that she’d been
involved in, as well as moving in some new directions. In particular, she began
exploring different means of oxidizing/doping the platinum (II) complexes that
have been developed in the Park lab, both by chemical means, as well as by more
traditional doping approaches involving Co(II) congeners. Laurel’s work
was also presented as a poster at the National ACS meeting in New Orleans over
spring break.
Park has also kept busy with other professional
activities this year. She has continued to serve as a reviewer and panelist for
NSF, ACS-PRF, Research Corporation, Benjamin Cummings Publishers.
Journal of the American Chemical
Society, Chemistry of Materials,
and Macromolecules. She has also been
involved in an outreach program in which she has been teamed up with two
teachers (Bill Dodd and Paul Jebb) from Ticonderoga High School in Fort
Ticonderoga, New York.
Professor Peacock-López taught
Current Topics in Chemistry (CHEM 155).
In addition, during the 2002-03 academic year, Professor Peacock and Mount
Greylock Regional High School’s AP chemistry instructor Scott Burdick
organized and taught an AP lab experience at Williams College. The AP chemistry
students came five times during the year to perform some of the experiments from
the Williams introductory chemistry lab program. Lastly, Professor
Peacock-López continued his efforts in teaching chemistry to children.
This year, Professor Peacock-López gave demonstrations to seven graders
from the Springfield, MA, area and helped with the science outreach program that
bring fifth graders to the Chemistry Department for hand on demonstrations
during National Chemistry Week.
Professor Peacock-López continued his research in
complex dynamical chemical and biochemical mechanisms. In work related to the
self-replication molecules, he studied a self-replicating mechanism with
complementary template and triplex formation. Analyses extended to pattern
formation and population dynamics. In the latter case, his lab studied a
three-level trophic system with intraspecies interaction, which seemed to
stabilize the system diminishing the chance of chaotic trajectories.
Ten years ago Rebeck observed that a mixture of
complementary fragments like adenine ribose (AR), biphenyl imide (BI) and
thymine yields two self-complementary self-replicating molecules ARBI and ART.
Of the two, ART is a better self-replicator than ARBI. Lately
Peacock-López studied the dynamic behavior of two competitive reactions
that yield self-replicating molecules when the system is kept away from
equilibrium. The dynamic properties of self-replicating systems have an impact
in understanding the evolution of self-replicating RNA. It has been suggested
that prebiotic chemistry created oligonucleotides at random. Of these
molecules, some oligonucleotides were able to join nucleotides and perhaps
eventually catalyzed their own replication. Recent work by Nicolaou with
palindromic oligonucleotides has strengthened this possibility. Somehow, the
better self-replicators overcome others and evolve into ribozymes and possibly
into self-replicating RNA. However, the role of natural selection is not
clearly understood; therefore, he explores the dynamic properties of two
competitive self-replicators and the possibility of coexistence or extinction of
the two species. It is important to understand the differences in
self-replication efficiency and its effects on the system dynamics. His results
shed some light on possible mechanisms of self-replicating molecular
evolution.
Peacock-López also served as a reviewer for the
National Science Foundation and The Chemical
Educator.
During the 2002-03 academic year, Professor David
Richardson enjoyed his first full year of not being department chair. On the
research front, he supervised the work of several students throughout the year.
In the summer of 2002, Peta-Gaye Burnett ’03 began her year-long senior
honors research working on a collaborative project between Professor Richardson
and Professor Dan Lynch’s lab involving the development of a simple,
efficient, and sensitive method for the identification and quantification of
ceramide samples isolated from plant or animal cell membranes. Also working in
the Richardson lab during the summer were Nisha David ’05 and Jude Dumfeh
’04. These students teamed up to continue work on collaboration between
Professor Richardson and Professor Hank Art on the isolation of allelopathic
agents from “hay-scented fern,” a plant that grows widely in Hopkins
Forest. In the fall semester, this project was continued by Marshall Dines
’03, the first student to pursue this work as a senior honors thesis
project. Marshall’s very labor-intensive studies were also assisted by
Analia Sorribas ’06 an invaluable work study in the Richardson lab
throughout the year. Finally, in the fall semester, Alison Stewart ’03
helped the Richardson lab begin a new collaboration with Professor Amy
Gehring’s lab. Alison’s project (which was continued in the spring
semester by Chris Thom ’06) involved the isolation and structure
determination of colored pigments, which are produced by the bacterium
Streptomyces coelicolor. During Winter Study Period, Professor Richardson
supervised the research of John Harris ’05 pursued in the
department’s course Introduction to
Research in Organic Chemistry (CHEM 023). John worked on the
verification of a synthetic method that is being considered for publication in
Organic Syntheses. The method he
investigated involved Pd-catalyzed Suzuki coupling of vinyl boronic acids with
aryl chlorides. Professor Richardson also supervised the purchase and
installation of the department’s new 500 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance
spectrometer. Finally, Professor Richardson served as a reviewer for the
Journal of Organic Chemistry and for
The Chemical Educator.
Professor Richardson’s teaching responsibilities
for the year included two courses that he had not had the opportunity to teach
for many years. In the fall semester, he taught
Organic Chemistry: Intermediate Level
(CHEM 251), the second semester introductory organic chemistry course that is
part of the department’s new introductory curriculum. In the spring
semester, he taught Synthetic Organic
Chemistry (CHEM 303/342). In July, he taught the chemistry laboratory
portion of the Williams College Summer Science Program for Minority Students
and, together with Professor Chip Lovett, he hosted the department’s
Summer Science Camp program for local 4th and 5th graders. Professor Richardson
also served as chair of the Olmsted Committee.
Assistant Professor Mark Schofield continued his research
on the development and synthesis of metalloenzyme mimics while on assistant
professor leave last fall. During the summer of 2002, David Chung ’02
continued his thesis work on the development of nickel macrocycles to serve as
functional models for the active site of methylcoenzyme M reductase (MCR). This
enzyme, which is found in Archaea, is
responsible for the production of over a billion tons of methane per year.
David used a combination of electrochemical, computational, and reactivity
studies to evaluate the suitability of these models and identified a particular
macrocycle for chemical reactivity studies, reproducing the oxidation state
range predicted for the native enzyme and preparing an important methyl nickel
derivative that is a close relative to the putative intermediated in MCR. David
was joined in the lab by Jim Enterkin ’05, who worked on the synthesis of
a new class of platinum complexes that, it is hoped, will serve as new
anti-cancer drugs. Joining the lab this summer to continue this work are Ned
Wydysh ’04 who will conduct his thesis research in Professor
Schofield’s lab, and Erwin van der Geer, who is visiting Williams from the
Netherlands as part of the Williams/Leiden University exchange program.
After returning from leave, Professor Schofield taught
Introduction to Physical and Inorganic
Chemistry (CHEM 256), the last introductory course in the
“sandwich” model of the new chemistry curriculum. Although unlikely
to appear as an option on the walls of Papa Charlie’s Deli, students were
tantalized by a mixture of coordination chemistry, kinetics/mechanism and
thermodynamics both in lecture and the new laboratory program (also salami, but
we won’t go there...).
In addition to these on-campus activities, Professor
Schofield continued his professional activities outside Williamstown. In August
2002, he attended the National ACS meeting in Boston and in March 2003, he
presented his work at the National ACS meeting in New Orleans. This July he
will attend the Gordon Research Conference on Cobalamin Chemistry in Waterville,
ME, and after a five-day hiatus in Williamstown, the
11th International Conference on
Biological Inorganic Chemistry in Cairns, Australia. Professor Schofield also
served as a reviewer for Inorganic
Chemistry, Journal of the American
Chemical Society Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, and the National Science Foundation.
This spring saw the introduction of
Introduction to Physical and Inorganic
Chemistry (CHEM 256) to the curriculum. This completes the new
four-semester introductory series. Dr. Skinner taught the majority of labs for
this course, following teaching in Concepts of
Chemistry (CHEM 151) in the fall.
Dr. Skinner’s research uses electron spin resonance
(ESR) to date fossils. In the summer of 2002, she had three Williams students,
Sara Martin ’05, Dean Laochamroonvorapongse ’03 and Terry-Ann K.
Suer ’05 in her lab. Students also participated in her research during
January as part of Winter Study.
In April 2003, Dr. Skinner attended two professional
meetings being held serially in Tempe, AZ. The first, the Paleontology Society,
she presented the results from her study of the Late Stone Age at Olduvai Gorge,
Tanzania. Her date of 55,000 years ago makes this one of the earliest such
sites. Later in the week, she presented a study on a Neanderthal site in the
Caucasus on which Sara Martin is a co-author.
Next spring Dr. Skinner will offer a tutorial course on
scientific method in archaeology and paleontology. This will increase the
number of lower-level Division III tutorials. Dr. Skinner continues as News and
Features Editor of the Council on
Undergraduate Research Quarterly.
After welcoming twin daughters Keiko and Amaya into the
world in July 2002, Tom Smith spent this fifth year as an Assistant Professor
pursuing his research in organic synthesis and methods development along with
senior honors student, Jennifer Roizen ’03. In April, Jenny and future
thesis student Vicky Bock ’04 traveled to New Orleans, LA, to present a
poster at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Jenny continued a project begun by former honors student
Emily Balskus ’02 on the asymmetric total synthesis of hennoxazole A, an
antiviral natural product isolated from a marine sponge. Hennoxazole A has been
shown to be highly active against the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1, IC50 = 0.6
/ML). Jenny advanced the forefront of this approach toward the
total synthesis of this interesting natural product by five steps.
Another project underway in the Smith lab is directed at
a general asymmetric synthesis of the kavalactones. These natural products,
including kavain, are the active constituents of the kava plant, which has been
used for centuries in South Pacific cultures for its sedative and muscle
relaxing effects. Modern interest in the compounds from this herbal tonic stems
from their reported ability to relieve anxiety. Previous work by thesis
students Mabel Djang ’01 and Alan Velander ’02 has led to the first
asymmetric synthesis of (+)-kavain and a three-step synthesis of
(+)-dihydrokavain. Summer student Kathleen Carroll ’05 will put the
finishing touches on this project in preparation for publication.
Honors student Adrian Dowst ’04 will continue a
project toward the asymmetric total synthesis of jerangolid D, an antifungal
natural product isolated from myxobacteria, in which the methods developed for
kavalactone synthesis are extended to the assembly of both the -lactone
and cis-dihydropyran portions of this molecule. Professor Smith also received a
grant from the National Science Foundation,
Asymmetric Synthesis of Pyran-Based Natural
Products, for $177,308 to continue this work.
In the classroom this year, Professor Smith took on two
new teaching posts. In the fall semester, he taught
Fighting Disease: The Evolution and Operation
of Human Medicine (CHEM 111). This course provided an introduction to
concepts in medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmacology to 30 eager
non-chemistry majors. A final poster presentation by the class covered topics
ranging from the origins and treatment of African river blindness to an analysis
of methods of birth control administration to the use and abuse of creatine and
anabolic steroids by athletes. In the spring semester, Professor Smith taught
Organic Chemistry: Introductory Level
(CHEM 156) to 110 potential chemistry majors and premedical students. A full
recovery is expected. Professor Smith looks forward to another productive and
invigorating year of teaching and research.
Working with Adam Steeves ’02, Professor Jay Thoman
continued research on the behavior of chlorofluorocarbon substitute molecules
with chemically significant amounts of energy. Working during summer 2001 and
on a senior thesis project, Adam measured the vibrational overtone spectroscopy
of a series of hydrofluorocarbons, concentrating on the fire-suppressant
molecule 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane. While most of the measurements were
made using long-path (up to 20m) absorption, Adam also implemented a laser-based
technique known as cavity ringdown spectroscopy, which provides an equivalent
path length of kilometers. Cavity ringdown spectroscopy now works much more
straightforwardly in Thoman’s lab, thanks to the acquisition of a new
Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser system in May 2002.
Working with Jason Leith ’05, Brain Saar ’05,
and Saroj Bhattarai ’05, Professor Jay Thoman continued research on the
behavior of small molecules with chemically significant amounts of energy. In
summer 2002, the team investigated the vibrational overtone spectroscopy of
gaseous and liquid methanol and ethanol using the sensitive laser-based
technique of cavity ringdown spectroscopy. They demonstrated the advantages and
limitations of using a quartz cell held at Brewster’s angle in comparison
to a cell in which the sample is held in contact with the (expensive!) ringdown
mirrors. During the academic year, Leith continued as a thesis student and Saar
as a work-study student. They probed the vibrational overtones of
hydrofluorocarbons, making extensive measurements on the hydrofluoroethanes, and
identifying the extent to which Fermi resonance explains the frequencies and
intensities of the observed transitions.
In the fall semester, Thoman taught
Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics
(CHEM 301) for the first and last time. With the introduction of the new
chemistry curriculum, the physical chemistry sequence is reversed from a
phenomenological approach (thermodynamics first) to a molecular approach
(quantum mechanics first). With help from Professor Peacock-López,
Thoman introduced a new computational laboratory in which students learn the
fundamentals of the software package Mathematica. He also introduced a new
laboratory exercise using the differential scanning calorimeter to investigate
phase transitions in ammonium nitrate and several polymers. During Winter
Study, Thoman sponsored Brain Saar ’05 in
Introduction to Environmental Science
Research (CHEM 026), and again taught
Glass and Glassblowing (CHEM 016). In
the spring, Thoman co-taught two classes
Instrumental Methods of Analysis (CHEM
304) with Professor Lee Park and Introduction
to Environmental Science (ENVI 102) with Geosciences Professor Heather
Stoll.
CHEMISTRY COLLOQUIA
Professor Marlene Belfort, Wadsworth Center, BIMO Class of
1960 Scholars Program
“Structure, Function and Evolution of Mobile
Self-Splicing Introns”
Professor John Caradonna, Boston University
“Iron Catalyzed Oxygen Atom Transfer Catalysis:
Reactivity Models for Binuclear Non-Heme Iron”
Professor Sunhee Choi, Middlebury College
“Mechanism of Anticancer Activity of Pt(IV)
Complexes”
Professor William Connick ’88, University of
Cincinnati
“Building a Better Electron-Transfer
Photo-Reagent”
Professor Michael Doyle, University of Arizona, Research
Corporation,
Class of 1960 Scholars Program
“Developing Chiral Catalysts: Concept,
Implementation, Applications and Commercialization”
Professor Robert Field, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
“Inter-System Crossing in Acetylene: Mechanism
Uncovered by a Herzberg’s Demon”
Professor Katja Lindenberg, University of California-San
Diego, Class of 1960 Scholars Program
“Noise Induced Phenomena: A Sampler”
Dr. John Lowe ’73, Pfizer, Inc., Sponsored by Organic
Syntheses, Inc.
“The First Nonpeptide Substance P Receptor
Antagonist and Its Mechanism of Action”
Professor William Reznikoff ’63, University of
Wisconsin-Madison
“Tn5 DNA
Transposition: Insights into HIV-a DNA Integration, Immunoglobulin, Gene
Formation and Transposon Movement”
Mr. Scott Snyder ’99, The Scripps Research
Institute
“Diazonamide A: A Catalyst for the Development of
Novel Synthetic Strategies and Methodologies”
Professor Paul Wender, Stanford University, Class of 1960
Scholars Program
“The Chemistry-Medicine Continuum: New Medicinal
Leads, New Reactions and New Drug Delivery Systems”
Professor Charles Zercher, University of New Hampshire,
Sponsored by Organic Syntheses, Inc.
“The Application of Zinc-Mediated Chain Extension
Reactions to Ketomethylene Isosters”
OFF-CAMPUS PRESENTATIONS
Saroj Bhattarai ’05, Brian G. Saar ’05, and
John W. Thoman, Jr.
“Vibrational Overtones of Liquid and Gaseous
Alcohols by Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy”
2003 Joint Spring Meeting
of the New England Sections of the American Physical Society and the American
Association of Physics Teachers, Williamstown, MA
David M. Collard, Jerry C. Smith, Emelita D. Breyer, and
Larry J. Kaplan
“NSF-Sponsored Workshops for Teaching Faculty:
Development of the CWCS National Consortium”
Southeast Regional
Meeting of the ACS (SERMACS), Charleston, SC
Larry J. Kaplan
“Old Wine in New Flasks: Modern Forensic Science
Takes a New Look at Historical Cases”
Florida Southern College,
Lakeland, FL; Loyola University, New Orleans, LA
Presentations at the 17th Biennial Conference on Chemical
Education, Bellingham, WA, July 2002
Larry J. Kaplan
“Forensic Science: An
Interdisciplinary, Case-Oriented, Interactive-Multimedia Approach for Teaching
Basic Science and Critical Thinking in a Liberal Arts Education”
Larry J. Kaplan, E. D. Breyer et al
“The
Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences (CWCS)”
Larry J. Kaplan, Daniel R. Calnan ’04, Shauna M.
Dineen ’04, and Kamille D. Williams ’03
“Biophysical
Characterization of the Forces that Stabilize DNA and Selected
Oligonucleotides”
Presentations at the 225th National Meeting of the American
Chemical Society, New Orleans, LA
Jason S. Leith ’03, Adam H. Steeves ’02,
James R. Apgar ’01, Brian G. Saar ’05, Saroj Bhattarai ’05,
and John W. Thoman, Jr.
“Vibrational Overtone Transitions of
Hydrofluoropropanes and Ethanes”
Lee Y. Park, Laurel A. Hensley ’03, Carrie P. Jones
’02, Steven T. Scroggins ’04
“Columnar Liquid Crystalline
Phases Based on Square Planar Platinum(II) and Cobalt(II)”
Lee Y. Park, Katherine McMenimen, Edward A. McGehee
’05, Darren Hamilton
“Columnar Liquid Crystalline Phases from
Complementary -Donor/-Acceptor Components”
Mark H. Schofield and David Y. Chung
’02
“Evaluation of Some Tetraazamacrocyclic Nickel Complexes as
Models for the Active Site of Methylcoenzyme M Reductase”
Thomas E. Smith, Emily P. Balskus ’02, Victoria D.
Bock ’04, and Jennifer L. Roizen ’03
“Studies toward the
Asymmetric Synthesis of Hennoxazole A”
Lee Y. Park
“Liquid Crystals and Molecular Wires; Doing
Chemistry in One Dimension”
Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
Lee Y. Park, Susan L. Fulmer ’02, Carrie P. Jones
’02
“One-Dimensional Materials Based on Group VIII
Metallomesogens”
19th International Liquid Crystal Conference,
Edinburgh, Scotland
Anne R. Skinner
“Dating the East African LSA: ESR Ages for the
Naisiusiu Beds, Olduvai Gorge”
Paleontology Society Meeting, Tempe,
AZ
“ESR Dating at Mezmaiskaya Cave,
Russia”
72nd Annual
Meeting, American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Tempe, AZ
“ESR Dating at Paleolithic Sites in the Northern
Caucasus, Russia”
Geological Society of America Annual Meeting,
Denver, CO
Thomas E. Smith
“Asymmetric Synthesis of Pyran-Based Natural
Products”
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; University of New
Hampshire, Durham, NH
POSTGRADUATE PLANS OF DEPARTMENT MAJORS
Peta-Gaye Burnett |
Work for one year then
graduate school |
Cara Cipriano |
M.D., University of
Pennsylvania |
Melissa Daly |
Undecided |
Marshall Dines |
Work for one year then
medical school |
Erica Dwyer |
Research in Durban,
South Africa on a Fulbright Scholarship then M.D./Ph.D. |
William Green, Jr. |
Assistant Teacher,
Center for Excellence in Youth Education, Mount Sinai School of Medicine |
Laurel Hensley |
Undecided |
Kevin Hsueh |
Undecided |
Meredith Jacob |
Undecided |
Brian Katz |
Ph.D. in Mathematics,
University Texas, Austin |
Leah King |
Undecided |
Jason Leith |
Herschel Smith Fellowship
at Cambridge University, England |
David Morris |
Undecided |
Kudakwashe Mutyambizi |
M.D., Yale School of
Medicine |
Alison Peet |
Undecided |
Jennifer Roizen |
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry,
California Institute of Technology |
Joel Schmid |
Undecided |
Alison Stewart |
Work for one year then
graduate school |
Catherine Sumner |
D.V.M., Tufts University
School of Veterinary Medicine |
Karen Thome |
Internship with CIMMYT,
Texcoco, Mexico then Ph.D. in Biochemistry |
Kamille Williams |
Internship at Admission
Office, Williams College |
Patrick Zimmerman |
Medical School |