Research Areas in the Department
Biochemistry
The Biochemistry Division is geared toward elucidating selected chemical processes in living organisms. The labs pursue protein structure/function studies that will aid the elucidation of catalytic mechanisms of enzymes involved in neuropeptide, DNA and protein metabolism, and carbon dioxide fixation. More applied areas of research include use of RNA as a therapeutic agent and the development of various bioanalytical tools for clinical, industrial, and homeland security applications.
Diverse in scope, yet complementary, the expertise of the biochemistry faculty offers students exposure to a broad range of scientific approaches, which is further enriched by numerous multidisciplinary projects with groups in other departments.
Faculty involved in this research: Huang, Heinhorst, Cannon, Bateman, Evans, Rangachari
Organic
The Organic Division works on novel materials and photochemistry. The novel materials include stimuli-responsive polymers, unnatural amino acids, new organometallic catalysts, and photosensitive adhesives. The photochemistry of liquid crystalline polymers is also studied. The mechanisms of photochemical reactions are investigated. Short-lived organic species can be characterized by nanosecond transient spectroscopy.
Faculty involved in this research: Schanz, Masterson, Hoyle, McCormick, Phillips
Inorganic Chemistry
The Inorganic division here at USM works in diverse areas of inorganic chemistry that spans from the wonders of bioinorganic chemistry, after all metals play a pivotal role in biology systems, to supramolecular chemistry and nano-materials for the synthesis of novel materials and photochemical devices.
As with “traditional” organic chemistry, the synthesis and characterization of molecules is imperative to the inorganic chemist, by synthesizing specific molecules such as dipicolinic acid and Schiff bases to coordinate to various metals centers. Another approach is the design of polypyridyl ruthenium(II)/rhodium(III) complexes that are used for bioinorganic studies of DNA recognition as anti-cancer agents in photodynamic therapy. Another interesting class of coordination complexes are the vanadium containing species that mimic insulin like drugs, which have been designed for STZ-induced diabetic rats. Also, the inorganic division is pursuing research in the design of molecular sensors, particularly; their use in biological applications. There has been a continuing endeavor to detect trace elements, for example, free iron and zinc in the cell. It is believed that these labile elements can be the source for free radical formation.
Other areas of interest in the division also include the study of inorganic reaction mechanisms, the use of EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) and NMR in the structural elucidation of various transition metal complexes, supramolecular chemistry, including host-guest chemistry and self-assembly and nanochemistry.
Faculty involved in this research: Holder, Wallace, Stevenson
Physical
Nonlinear chemical dynamics, which is the study of oscillating reactions, pattern formation, propagating fronts, and chaos, is a major focus area. A significant emphasis is the application of this approach to polymeric materials synthesis. Research on the effect of buoyancy-driven convection in chemical reactions is done by using sounding rockets and parabolic airplane flights. Two experiments are scheduled on the International Space Station to study transient phenomena in miscible polymer systems.
Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystals (PDLCs) are studied as new displays for computers and TVs. Angle dependent light scattering with microsecond resolution is used.
Computational chemistry tools are very helpful to solve many problems in chemistry and biochemistry areas. Currents interests include: 1) high accuracy calculations of spectral (such as NMR, ESR, Mössbauer) properties to help experimental spectra assignment and elucidation of unusual spectra, structures, and properties; 2) refinement of protein x-ray structures and development of high accuracy structure determination methods; 3) investigations on the structures and functions of metallobiomolecules involved in cellular regulation and signaling and human diseases.
Faculty involved in this research: Zhang, Phillips,
Whitehead
Analytical
One new area is the development and implementation of chromatographic methodologies in the separation and isolation of nanomaterials. In the quest to discover new nanomaterials, soot matrices and their extracts from electric-arc plasma reactors contain an array of novel structures with unique molecular architectures. It will be necessary to develop new separation and purification protocols for their discovery, isolation and characterization. Other complex mixtures to separate include organic reaction products involving the metallic nitride fullerenes. Isolation of these functionalized fullerenes is important in the development of new application areas for these metallic nitride species.
The second new research area in analytical chemistry is mainly associated with electrochemistry, electroanalytical chemistry, surface chemistry, and bioanalytical chemistry. A variety of electrochemical techniques, such as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), are applied to the study of chemical and biological problems. Ultrasensitive biosensors based on ECL technology for the analysis and detection of DNA and proteins, e.g., antibodies and antigens, are currently being investigated.
The final area focuses on using quartz microbalances to detect specific DNA fragments. This is accomplished by binding the target DNA to the surface of a quartz electrode. The complementary pair can hybridize to the target and increase the mass, which the balance can detect.