An Introduction to Organic Electronics. Replacing the silicon-based semiconducting materials used in many of today's electronic devices with carbon-based analogs yields a number of significant benefits. Along with reduced costs associated with simplified device construction, organic-based electronics can be transparent, flexible, extremely lightweight, and can be constructed on a wide array of different surfaces. This talk will introduce the concept of carbon-based semiconductors, strategies for the design and synthesis of high-performance materials, and their application to thin-film transistors for flexible displays, new solar cells that can be applied by spray painting on any surface, and light-emitting diodes.
Dr. David A. Atwood (datwood@uky.edu ) (Professor, Inorganic and Environmental Chemistry).
Talk 1: A Permanent Solution to Environmental Mercury Contamination. Heavy metals such as mercury can have a devastating, and long-lasting, effect on natural ecosystems. They are introduced through many routes, most of which involve the chemical industry or energy production. A wide range of reagents and technologies have addressed this problem, but none have proven to be both permanent and cost-effective. Recently, however, we have created a new series of compounds, one of which is BDT (a), that is capable of precipitating Hg from water to below 5 parts-per-billion (Inorg. Chem. 46 (2007) 1975). BDT was designed to provide two linear covalent bonds to mercury (b), an arrangement that gives the compound the remarkable capability of remaining stable under highly acidic and basic conditions. BDT-Hg does not leach detectable Hg under these conditions for up to two months. The presentation will describe the basic chemistry of BDT and how it is used to remove mercury from gold-mining effluent and other sources of contaminated water (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 41 (2002) 5278).
Talk 2: Covalent Deactivation of Nerve Gas Agents and Pesticides. Organophosphate esters are active components of chemical warfare nerve gas agents and pesticides. The cleavage of the P-O-C linkage in these molecules provides a means by which they may be destroyed. We have shown that chelated mononuclear aluminum halide compounds, like the one shown in (a), can effectively dealkylate organophosphate models of nerve agents and pesticides (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128 (2006) 1147). We recently demonstrated that the deactivation of actual nerve agents (b) and pesticides with these compounds could be achieved (New J. Chem. 32 (2008) 783). The presentation will discuss the basic chemistry underlying this new dealkylation reaction and describe how the compounds can be incorporated into gas mask filters for the protection of soldiers and civilians.
Dr. Leonidas G. Bachas (bachas@uky.edu) (Professor, Biological Chemistry, Sensors)
Integrated Sensing Architectures. The molecular recognition properties of natural and synthetic receptors have a direct influence on the selectivity and sensitivity of analytical sensors. This presentation will discuss new types of sensing architectures that involve recombinant DNA methods and biomimetic chemistry. Particular emphasis will be placed on biointerfaces that involve nanomaterials.
Dr. Carol Brock (cpbrock@uky.edu) (Professor, Physical Chemistry).
Talk 1: Modern Crystallography. A general overview of modern structure determination by diffraction methods. The talk will start with a general description of why and how crystal structures can be determined, and will then move on to discuss problems that can be solved today that would have been considered impossible a decade ago. Crystallographic databases will also be discussed.
Talk 2: When Can Fractional Crystallization Be Expected to Fail? Fractional crystallization is the method of choice for purification of chemicals produced on a commercial scale. If the method fails, then the batch may contain disordered mixed crystals (or, solid solutions) or ordered stoichiometric compounds such as solvates. Fractional crystallization is expected to fail for enantiomers, which usually crystallize together to form ordered racemic compounds. This talk will include some discussion of phase diagrams and of searches of crystallographic databases.
Dr. D. Allan Butterfield (dabcns@uky.edu) (Alumni Professor of Biological Chemistry).
Amyloid Beta-Peptide, Free Radical Oxidative Stress, and Alzheimer's Disease. The 42-amino acid peptide, amyloid Beta-peptide (ABeta), is central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the AD brain is under extensive oxidative stress, including protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation. This presentation will show how our laboratory has combined these two concepts to develop a model for neurodegeneration in AD brain based on ABeta-associated free radical oxidative stress. The ABeta-induced protein oxidation and lipid peroxidation in neurons, the mechanisms and downstream sequelae involved in these processes, their inhibition by exogenous and endogenous antioxidants, and proteomics identification of specifically oxidized proteins in AD brain will be presented.
ROS production in BYbeta(A-42) in hippocampal neurons and its prevention by vitamin E
Dr. Yuguang Cai (ycai3@uky.edu) (Assistant Professor, Physical Chemistry).
Oil Spreading at Nanoscale. Oils spread over surfaces – after the rain, we can observe the rainbow-colored oil films on wet roads. These films are formed by the spreading of oil drops over the surface. When the drop shrinks to a size that we cannot see, does it still spread? In the talk, we will introduce our method to study the liquid at a size much smaller than the width of a hair. We use the scanning probe microscope to create tiny patterns on the surface. Then we study how liquids behave over these tiny patterns by “monitoring the liquid spreading process” through the scanning probe microscope. We will demonstrate many fascinating structures and novel phenomena that have not been previously observed. We will also discuss the role of liquid spreading in applications like irrigation, petroleum tertiary recovery, sealing, printing and drug delivery.
Dr. Arthur Cammers-Goodwin (a.cammers@uky.edu) (Associate Professor, Organic Chemistry).
Talk 1: Measuring the Crunch of Crystallization. A unique study that evaluates the changes that occur to molecules when they go from solution to the solid state will be presented. How should the preference for hydrogen bound states change as molecules shed solvent to knit together solid state organic lattices? How should this process affect molecular conformation? Is it safe to look at many conformations in the crystalline state and extrapolate to solution state conformation? [1] Beilstein . J. Org. Chem. 2008, 4, (23).
Talk 2: Hidden States: Conformational Analysis of Dynamic Populations. Conformation of organic molecules is an important parameter to be able to assay and control in the design of drugs. However when one molecule can reversibly populate multiple conformations it is surprisingly difficult to determine how much of which conformer there is at any given time. Methods will be discussed by which this can be accomplished with NMR measurements in the context of weak intramolecular interactions such as pi-stacking and hydrogen bonding. At left is an example molecule with multiple conformers that has been well described. [2] Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2008 web access. [3] Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2005 171.
Dr. Dennis J. Clouthier ( dclaser@uky.edu ) (Professor, Physical Chemistry / Chemical Physics / Laser Spectroscopy).
Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Studies of Nonexistent Compounds. Powerful laser-based techniques have been developed over the last two decades for detecting transient and very reactive molecules in very low concentrations. With these methods we have been able to thoroughly characterize species which had previously been classified as "nonexistent" and unlikely to be observable. This talk will describe the technology and experimental techniques for preparing and studying such compounds including our recent first determination of the length of the carbon-silicon triple bond and detection of a new phosphorus carbide in the laboratory and in outer space. Practical applications in the characterization of semiconductor growth intermediates, upper atmospheric chemistry, and the chemistry of the interstellar medium will also be discussed.
Dr. Robert B. Grossman (robert.grossman@uky.edu) (Professor, Organic Chemistry).
Talk 1: Total Synthesis of Plant-Derived Medicinal Compounds. Plants have been a source of medicinal and recreational drugs for many millennia. Over the past 150 years, these compounds have also inspired synthetic organic chemists to hone and perfect their craft. This talk will describe our own efforts to prepare such medicinally interesting compounds as sacacarin, a compound isolated from a Brazilian medicinal tree, yohimbine, a reputed aphrodisiac, and other compounds by new synthetic techniques that we have developed in our laboratory.
Talk 2: ACE Organic, a Web-based organic chemistry homework program. Many students find organic chemistry to be a difficult subject. One of the problems is that when they do their homework, students often confuse knowing the answer to a question (by looking it up in an answer key) with knowing how to answer a question. We have developed a Web-based organic chemistry homework program in which students draw structures as responses and receive response-specific feedback that guides them to the answer without giving it away. ACE can ask questions about reactions, spectroscopy, conformation, Lewis structures, and multistep mechanisms. I’ll describe ACE’s features and its effects on student learning.
Dr. Bruce J. Hinds (bjhinds@engr.uky.edu ) (Associate Professor, Materials Chemistry).
Mimicking Nature’s Remarkable Protein Channels with Nano-fabrication. Natural protein channels are one of the key components to cell life. They act to regulate what chemicals come into and go out of the cell. Besides having absolute chemical selectivity, they also pump at rates 1000’s of times faster than can be achieved by simple diffusion. The pumps can also be turned on/off by chemical environments. A grand challenge is to make man-mad structures with similar activity for bulk chemical separations, active drug delivery and energy related processes. One promising platform is carbon nanotube membranes [Science 2004, 303, 62]. The inside of the carbon nanotubes allow dramatic fluid flow rates (10,000 xs faster than conventional material) [Nature 2005, 438, 44] and ‘gate keeper chemistry can be precisely placed at the entrance/exit of each pore. The lecture will focus on the beauty of protein channels, a survey of nano-fabrication techniques to mimic nature and advances in carbon nanotube membranes.
Dr. Tae H. Ji (tji@uky.edu) (Professor, Biological Chemistry).
Our research deals with cell signal mechanisms. Specifically, we want to determine how hormones and environmental toxins bind to their receptors on the cell surface and generate specific signals, and which signals cause the cell death such as Alzheimer's brain cells.
Dr. Marc R. Knecht (mrknec2@email.uky.edu) (Assistant Professor, Biological and Materials Chemistry)
Bio-Inspired Nanotechnology: Learning Nature's Lessons. After millennia of evolution, Nature has developed biological processes for the production and self-assembly of a wide variety of inorganic materials. An ultimate example of this is the formation of the siliceous cell wall of aquatic diatoms into breathtaking, species specific, ornate structures. Unfortunately, current materials science methodologies for self-assembly pales in comparison to those observed in Nature. This talk will describe current materials applications of biological processes for the fabrication and assembly of unique metal nanomaterials. Of specific emphasis, the design parameters and principals for the production of linear chains of Au nanorods for optical and electronic applications uing bio-inspired techniques will be discussed.
Assembly of Au nanorods to form linear chains mediated by the amino acid cysteine.
Dr. Folami Ladipo (fladip0@uky.edu) (Associate Professor, Organometallic Chemistry).
Low-valent transition metal-promoted organic synthesis. Transition metal species in low oxidation states are widely used in carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. In spite of the importance of such reactions to progress in organic synthesis, current understanding of the chemistry of these species is poor and control over the C-C bond forming reactions is inadequate. This lecture covers both an introduction and a description of recent advances in the field of low-valent titanium-promoted reductive coupling reactions, including development of a highly regioselective alkyne cyclotrimeriztion.
Dr. Robert A. Lodder (lodder@uky.edu) (Professor, Analytical Chemistry).
Remote sensing. Scientists have focused their remote-sensing efforts in astrobiology onto robotic probes sent to nearby planets. A hyperspectral imaging system might be able to find cyanobacteria, one of the oldest forms of life on Earth, and similar forms of life on other planets like Mars. Hyperspectral imaging from a distance is able to easily monitor the distribution and spread of a cyanobacterium, Gloeocapsa, through spatial and spectrometric resolution of the chemicals (mycosporine amino acids and scytonemin) it produces to protect itself from UV radiation. The hyperspectral imaging system is flexible and can be calibrated to study the distribution of multiple analytes and interferences. A robotic rover with such an imaging system has the ability to drive up to the site and conduct more extensive sampling and collection because hyperspectral imaging is a nondestructive process.
Dr. Mark A. Lovell (malove2@email.uky.edu) (Professor, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry)
Disruptions of Zinc Homeostasis in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease. Increasing evidence suggests alterations in zinc (Zn) homeostasis may contribute to the neurodegeneration observed in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Current studies from our laboratory show that, in addition to alterations in Zn concentrations, there are significant alterations in proteins responsible for the transport of Zn. This talk will describe methods used to quantify brain Zn concentrations and to localize Zn transporters in specific neuron populations. Results of these studies will discussed in terms of the progression of AD from preclinical AD to late stage disease.
Sections of brain tissue from autopsy verified normal control (NC) subjects and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and late stage AD (LAD) stained for zinc (panel 1), ZnT-1 (panel 2, green), and ZnT-6 (panel 3, red). Panel 4 is a merged image.
Dr. Bert C. Lynn (bclynn2@uky.edu) (Professor, Analytical Chemistry)
Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry. Mass spectrometry joined with traditional molecular biology and biochemistry in a synergistic way to produce the new area of proteomics. Proteomics involves identification, characterization, and quantification of proteins in tissues and whole cells. To accomplish these tasks, new analytical protocols and mass spectral techniques were required. This lecture will provide background on mass spectrometry developments that enabled proteomics, 2D liquid chromatographic separations, tandem mass spectrometry of peptides and describe applications of proteomics in human disease research.
Dr. Mark S. Meier (meier@uky.edu) (Professor, Organic Chemistry / Nanotechnology).
The Chemistry of Carbon Materials. Fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are among the most important new materials discovered in the past several decades. The similar, curved carbon surfaces of these materials would be expected to give rise to similar chemistry, but there are significant differences in reactivity between fullerenes, single-walled nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Each carbon morphology has its own unique reactivity, physical properties, and technological potential. This lecture will demonstate how fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are really just organic compounds and how their reactivity depends upon subtle differences in carbon morphology.
Dr. Anne-Frances Miller (afm@uky.edu) (Associate Professor, Physical and Biological Chemistry).
Talk 1: Enzymes of eternal youth.
Life would simply not be possible without enzymes, as these allow controlled oxidation of sugars to yield energy much faster than occurs spontaneously, and with far fewer side reactions. However the cost of using oxygen to obtain energy from food is that we all age, due to accumulated oxidative damage. Again, it is enzymes that defend us. This talk describes the enzyme superoxide dismutase and how it disarms the toxic superoxide radical. Moreover this enzyme is also a close cousin to enzymes involved in synthesis of antibiotics and decomposition of toxic wastes such as PCBs. Thus, we are re-engineering the active site of superoxide dismutase to serve new purposes.
Talk 2: Diffusing bombs.
Enzymes are catalysts that can accelerate reactions by factors of up to 1019. They can be made by bacteria, they are non-toxic and they conduct their reactions in a benign, cheap solvent: water. Thus, we would like to make more use of enzymes in the synthesis of fine chemicals, and in the degradation of toxic waste. The enzyme nitroreductase catalyzes initial steps in metabolism of nitrated aromatics including several herbicides, and high explosives such as TNT. We find that nitroreductase transforms a very large range of substrates, in apparent violation of the perception that enzymes should be highly selective. This talk describes nuclear magnetic resonance and other studies demonstrating that protein flexibility, lubricated by water, is involved in enabling this enzyme to accommodate its wide substrate specificity range, and thus support a potentially wide range of applications.
Dr. John P. Selegue (selegue@uky.edu) (Professor, Inorganic and Materials Chemistry).
Talk 1: Transition Metal Complexes of Cyclopentadienyl-Fused Heterocycles. Polythiophenes, especially those with aromatic rings fused to them, comprise an interesting class of low-bandgap, electrically conducting polymers. This presentation will describe the synthesis, characterization and reactivity of new heterocycles with organometallic groups fused to their edges. The synthetic methods also allow us to access a new class of organometallic acenes.
Talk 2: The Periodic Table of Comic Books. http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/ Although traditionally written for children, comic books reveal a lot about the attitudes of the general public toward science, in particular chemistry. This general-interest presentation will follow the comic-book industry from 1938 to the present, with many surprising examples of chemistry in the comics. A projector with a fast CD drive or an internet connection is required.
Talk 3: From Metallacumulenes to Carbon Nano-Onions. Transition metal complexes of all-carbon ligands are of widespread interest in chemistry. This presentation will describe our progression from studies of C1, C2 and C3 complexes to carbon nanoparticles. In particular, the chemistry of carbon nano-onions, large "nested" fullerenes, with surface functional groups will be discussed.
Talk 4: History of Organometallic Chemistry. Following an introduction to organometallic compounds, this presentation will follow organometallic chemistry from its roots to current developments. Starting from obscure arsenic compounds of the late 18th century, chemists have developed a burgeoning specialty that contributes to applications ranging from catalysis to materials to pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Stephen M. Testa (testa@email.uky.edu) (Associate Professor, Biochemistry)
Nucleic Acids, Disease, and You. Genetic diseases can be caused by relatively simple ‘mutations’ in an individuals DNA. With the sequencing of the human genome, technologies for the identification and early detection of these genetic mutations are progressing relatively rapidly. Unfortunately, technologies to repair such mutations are essentially non-existent, even when the mutations are known. In this undergraduate-level seminar, I discuss how my lab is exploiting basic chemical principles for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to repair genetic mutations, including those that lead to cancer and muscular dystrophy. This research is an example of how a little creativity and chemical knowledge can be exploited for tackling real world problems.
Dr. Mark D. Watson (mdwatson@uky.edu) (Associate Professor, Organic and Materials Chemistry)
Designing and Building Molecules to Deliver Specific Properties. Organic small molecules and polymers can be designed to function as electronic materials: e.g. semiconductors that can be turned on or off; light-harvesting for energy conversion, and light emission. Through synthetic design, one must control not only the intrinsic properties of each molecule, but also the way that the molecules assemble within films, fibers, etc. Molecules can be considered as toy building blocks or LEGO™ and produced such that they come together in a specific manner to deliver desired properties. This presentation will provide background for these practices along with the approaches taken by our research group.
Dr. Yinan Wei (yinan.wei@uky.edu) (Assistant Professor, Biological Chemistry)
The emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria, immune to all known antibiotics, is a severe threat to human health. These super bugs gain multi-drug resistance (MDR) mainly through up-regulating the expression of multi-drug efflux pumps. These pumps are membrane transporter proteins that recognize a broad spectrum of structurally different compounds and actively pump these compounds out of the cell. Blocking the function of these transporters using specific inhibitors has the potential to restore the effects of antibiotics that are otherwise weakened or even eliminated by efflux pumping. To design such inhibitors, a thorough understanding of the mechanism of substrate binding by these proteins is essential. Our group studies the structure and functions of the MDR pumps using a multi-technique approach. These studies will help elucidate the mechanism of multi-substrate recognition by MDR pumps, which will set the stage for structure-based rational drug design targeting MDR pumps.
Dr. Dong-Sheng Yang (dyang0@uky.edu) (Professor, Physical Chemistry)
Building Organometallic Structures from Metal Atoms. The development of new technologies has made it possible to produce and characterize novel organometallic compounds and materials without using solvents and glassware. This lecture will introduce synthetic methods in laser-vaporization molecular beams and structural determinations with mass spectrometry, laser spectroscopy, and electric field ionization. Examples will include both main group and transition metal elements in the periodic table.
Dr. Steven W. Yates (yates@uky.edu) (Professor, Nuclear Chemistry)
Talk 1: Nuclear Shapes: From the Mundane to the Exotic. It might come as a surprise, but very few atomic nuclei are spherical. Most are prolate spheroids (football-shaped), some are oblate (discus-shaped), and others have more exotic shapes, such as pears, bananas, onions, or sausages. The methods used to discover this information about nuclear shapes will be described.
Talk 2: Nuclear Chemistry: Definition or Contradiction? In chemistry, we deal with the electrons around the atomic nucleus, but nuclear chemists explore the properties of the nucleus. What do nuclear chemists do, and what have they learned about nuclei?