X-ray Crystallography; Understanding of the Structures of Biomedically Relevant Molecules (e.g. carbohydrates and their derivatives, small peptides, and potential antiviral agents); Studies of the Solid-state Structures of Benzylideneanilines, Benzylideneazines, and Selected Fluorinated Compounds; Solid-state Study of Strict Isosteres (chemically different molecules having virtually identical space-filling requirements).
The projects highlighted below involve the synthesis, crystallization, and characterization of compounds of interest; in addition, crystal structures of selected compounds are determined through the assistance of the X-ray Crystallographic Laboratory (XCL) of the University of Minnesota. Data sets collected at the XCL are transmitted to the Organic Solid-State Research Laboratory in the University of St. Thomas Chemistry Department, where students are given the opportunity to solve and refine the crystal structures through the use of the SHELXTL software package. Research students in this UST laboratory are also given access to the Cambridge Crystallographic Database.
