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2005 Summer Research Students
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 Front row: Dr. Betsy Blackmer, Dr. Frank Settle, Dr. Tom Whaley Back row: Padrick Dennis, Steven Marinos, Serina Le, Derek Colla, Rebecca Mitchell, Charles Fagan, Peter Djalaliev |
The library is a collection of indexed, annotated, references to resources that offer a broad, balanced perspective of topics relating to the origins, functions, and legacies of the Manhattan Project. These materials include books, articles, videos, and vetted web sites. The Alsos team includes faculty and students who are building the software required to support the library and entering the annotations. Students receive valuable experience in working as members of a team that is working on problems associated with both nuclear issues and information technology. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation as a component of the National Science Digital Library. The library’s web address is http://alsos.wlu.edu. |
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Through various inert atmosphere and organic synthesis techniques, we are synthesizing polyamide macrocyclic rings. We are using these macrocycles to study metal insertion and coordination chemsitry. The rings we are currently using are hexadentate and pentadentate tetraamide species, as well as tetradentate tetraamide and triamide species. We characterize the macrocycles and complexes using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, various 2D NMR techniques, MS and IR. |
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The creation of new chiral centers is of tremendous importance
in organic chemistry, as evidenced by the awarding of the 2001
Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three chemists active in the field
of asymmetric synthesis. With current FDA guidelines for the
development of new stereoisomeric drugs, this problem takes on increased significance. Many of the most important chiral catalysts contain coordinating nitrogen or phosphorus atoms. An interesting class of compounds, the P,N-ligands, combine N and P donors in the same ligand. The France group is interested in preparing a family of such ligands, capable of binding to transition metals in a variety of coordination modes, including P,N; N,N; and N,P,N. The metal complexes of these ligands and their applications to asymmetric organic catalysis are also under investigation. |
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In collaboration with a local pharmaceutical company, the France/Desjardins group is investigating the kinetics of the decomposition of the active ingredient in a commonly used laxative. We are using NMR spectroscopy to study both the pH and the temperature dependence of this process. The results of this study will provide valuable information about the shelf life of this product. |
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When not eating pastries, climbing rocks or playing ultimate, Tom, Yo and Marcurius spend their free time studying the temperature dependent equilibrium of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen tetroxide. They approach this task with both theoretical calculations and a spectroscopic technique developed at Washington and Lee which involves lasers, pumps, chambers, and anything else that they find around the lab. |