Chemistry Faculty Research Projects
Summer 2009
The following chemistry faculty will be performing research with students this summer. Please read these descriptions and meet with the faculty to discuss their projects in more detail. Office and telephone numbers are given in the descriptions, although emailing a faculty member to set up an appointment ahead of time is usually the best option. Links to pages with more specific information on these research projects are provided at the end of these summaries in some cases.
Dr. Tony Borgerding (461 OWS, 2-5592). Research in my group interfaces analytical chemistry with physiological and environmental studies. Projects can include work designing and building new instruments, making measurements of samples to study natural processes, or both. We are currently building, testing, and applying a recently developed microprobe using dialysis membrane sampling for in-vivo sampling. Projects involve optimization of the system for increased sensitivity and selectivity, allowing direct use in physiological studies. Interfacing with specialized instruments such as chemiluminescence and mass spectrometry will also be pursued. In a separate area of research, many students will work on projects involving sampling, concentration, purification, and analysis of environmental samples from nearby areas by GC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Click here to go to Dr. Borgerding's research web page.
Dr. Joe Brom (463 OWS, 2-5578) . Dr. Brom has three research projects in the area of materials chemistry: 1. Spectroscopic studies of the photophysical properties of molecularly doped polymer materials. These experiments will include UV-VIS absorption and emission spectroscopy of organic compounds that are highly luminescent. 2. Experiments measuring the time dependence of light emission from doped materials that have been excited by an ultraviolet laser. These two projects belong to efforts at UST in building new optoelectronic devices that emit light due to the conduction of electric current through a thin film of organic material: electroluminescence of organic compounds, or OLED emission. We have recently published, with an undergraduate co-author, our successful experimental OLED results with boron difluoride complexes of dipyrromethenes. 3. The final project is in the area of computational chemistry. Collaborating with a research group at the University of Minnesota, we are developing computational models applicable to new materials containing boron. We have recently published, again with a UST undergraduate co-author, a new method for determining atomic partial charges for molecules containing boron.
Dr. Thomas Ippoliti (462 OWS, 2-5582). The students of Dr. Ippoliti’s research group are actively involved in five areas of research. All of these areas utilize organic synthesis to make new molecules. The first area is in the field of diagnostic molecules. Diagnostic molecules are used to detect proteins or other biomolecules that indicate the presence of disease. We have been synthesizing new colorimetric molecules to detect the presence of enzyme metabolites. Using Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assays (ELISA) we can then utilize our new molecules to detect a variety of important bioactive molecules. The second area is synthesis of novel heterocylic molecules. These molecules can be used to make Zeolites or Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF). Zeolites are inorganic frameworks that can be used for catalysts or separations. MOFs can be used for the storage of fuels in a solid state. The third area is the synthesis of new antibiotics. We have synthesized several new antibiotics recently that are highly active antibacterial agents. We are continuing this work by making new derivatives in this potent class of antibiotics. The fourth area of research is in the area of Green Chemistry. Specifically, we are developing new synthesis of useful chemicals from renewable feedstock or sustainable resources. Most chemicals are derived from oil, a non-renewable feedstock. This field is becoming increasingly important as oil prices rise and reserves are used up. The last area is biomedical in nature. We are synthesizing biocompatible, biodegradable molecules that deliver drugs. These materials can be used to coat implantable medical devices such as stents. All of these areas give the student experience in carrying out reactions, purifying products and structure elucidation using NMR spectroscopy. Click here to go to Dr. Ippoliti's research web page.
Dr. Gary Mabbott (454 OWS, 2-5583) This research group is working on developing trace methods of analysis for biochemical, forensic and environmental applications. For example, we are applying visible spectroscopy through a microscope in order to quantify very small amounts of materials, such as drugs, confined to microscopic particles such as cell surfaces, organelles, or solid phase extraction media. One of the current strategies involves applying a micro-fluidic device to the delivery of selective agents that bind with the target compound and titrate the material in very tiny volumes. Another area of interest is the development of a size adjustable aperture so small that only single molecules can pass through the supporting membrane at a time. The device should be capable of counting molecules and provide a new way of quantifying proteins using antigen/antibody reactions. Click here to go to Dr. Mabbott's research web page.
Dr. Tom Marsh (460 OWS, 2-5599). Research in the Marsh group is focused on studying the self-assembly of guanine rich DNA into higher order structures toward the development of nanoscale devices. The use of DNA in the development novel biomaterials is of great interest in the new and rapidly developing field of nanotechnology. Potential applications for DNA nanostructures include the development molecular sensors, switches, molecular scaffolding, and molecular wires. There are several ongoing biomaterial projects that involve utilizing small DNA oligomers to create stable self-assembled nanostructures. The DNA oligonucleotide sequences used contain guanine repeats that confer the ability to form quadruple helical DNA. These G-rich quadruplex structures are generally known as G-DNA. Structure formation is due to specific guanine-guanine interactions and the formation of a metal ion coordination complex within the quadruple helix.The morphology of self-assembled G-DNA structures is dependent on the species of monovalent and divalent metal cations present. Research students will take advantage of the morphological diversity of these simple G-rich oligonulceotides and apply a hydrothermal synthesis strategy to obtain 1D, 2D and 3D self-assembled structures. Laboratory work will include synthesis of modified nucleic acids, formation of self-assembled structures and analysis of structures (via scanning probe microscopy, electron microscopy, UV spectrophotometry etc). Novel biomaterials such as these are of great interest in the new and rapidly developing field of nanotechnology. Click here to go to Dr. Marsh's research web page.
Dr. William Ojala (OWS456, 2-5585). Research conducted by Dr. Ojala and his students is focused on the organic solid state. This summer's work will include three projects: (1) the synthesis, crystallization, and X-ray crystal structure determination of molecules designated bridge-flipped isomers, molecules differing only in the orientation of a bridge of atoms connecting two major parts of the molecule. Such isomers include members of the benzylideneaniline (Ar-CH=N-Ar', Ar = aryl) and arylhydrazone (Ar-CH=N-NH-Ar') families of organic compounds. Co-crystallization of bridge-flipped isomers (e.g. Ar-CH=N-Ar' with Ar-N=CH-Ar') may offer a means of preparing new solid materials with properties that can be adjusted by design through the solid-state incorporation of selected proportions of the isomeric compounds; (2) the synthesis of crystalline derivatives of selected monosaccharides to gain insight into the structures and properties of their biologically significant polysaccharide analogues (such as heparin); (3) the preparation of molecules designated strict isosteres, chemically different molecules with essentially identical space-filling requirements. Co-crystallization of these compounds offers a method for influencing the course of solid-state phase transitions one or both of the isomers may undergo. For all three projects, knowledge of the solid-state structures of the compounds is necessary. Single-crystal data sets will be collected using the diffractometers of the X-ray Crystallographic Laboratory of the University of Minnesota Chemistry Department, and subsequent structure determination and analysis will be conducted in Dr. Ojala's laboratory. Click here to go to Dr. Ojala's research web page.
Dr. Kathy Olson (OWS 464, 2-5580) One focus in the Olson lab is using Quantitative PCR (qPCR) to characterize the state of gene expression in different neurodegenerative diseases, such as Mad Cow Disease. Such diseases are difficult to diagnose in a living specimen, and definitive diagnosis can only be done post mortem. By characterizing the profile of expressed proteins for these diseases, an expression fingerprint will be obtained for each disease that could aid in a diagnosis prior to death of the individual. This work is done in collaboration with a lab at the University of Minnesota, and no infectious materials will be handled at UST. A second area of research in the Olson lab is centered on the biotechnological applications of enzymes. In particular, we are working on the development of very selective, sensitive and fast assays that incorporate the enzyme alcohol oxidase (AOX) from yeast. Experimental work in this area is multidisciplinary, ranging from biochemistry to synthetic organic chemistry.
Dr. Kris Wammer (OWS 457, 2-5574) Dr. Wammer's research focuses on understanding the chemical and biological processes that affect the fate of contaminants in the environment, specifically in natural waters. Students in the Wammer lab will be working on two main projects this summer. One project involves studying the photochemical degradation of two classes of antibiotics, fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines, under natural sunlight. A major focus of this project will be to attempt to identify potentially harmful degradation products. A second project will examine the influence of exposure to low-level concentrations of the antimicrobial compound triclosan on antibiotic resistance levels in Lake Superior bacteria. Two sampling trips will be made to the North Shore to collect samples for study, and bacterial communities will be grown in laboratory reactors known as chemostats and characterized using molecular biology techniques.
