ISU Chemistry - Research

Dr. Ferrence in his research laboratory.

Scanning Electrochemical Microscope (SECM) image of an AFM calibration grating with groove spacing of 3 µm (J. Baur)

Scenes below are from the biannual Undergraduate Research Symposium

The faculty at Illinois State University maintain active, externally-funded research programs that span traditional sub-disciplines of chemistry: Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Education, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry. Many of our faculty members have active interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty members outside of the Department.

Undergraduate Research

The Chemistry Department is strongly committed to undergraduate education through undergraduate research. About 80% of the department's majors participate in undergraduate research, and many of these students present the results of their research at Undergraduate Research Symposia at the the department and university levels. Several students also present their research at national and regional scientific meetings and have co-authored articles in scientific journals.

Following is a sample of articles recently published with undergraduate co-authors, and a list of presentations by undergraduate students at national, regional, and local meetings. Key: undergraduate student authors, graduate student authors.

Publications

J.T. Szymanski and T.D. Lash, "Dimethoxytetraphenylbenziporphyrins," Tetrahedron Letters, 44 (2003) 8613-8616.

T.D. Lash, D.A. Colby, S.R. Graham, G.M. Ferrence and L.F. Szczepura," Organometallic Chemistry of Azuliporphyrins: Synthesis, Spectroscopy, Electrochemistry and Structural Characterization of Nickel(II), Palladium(II) and Platinum(II) Complexes of Azuliporphyrins", Inorganic Chemistry, 42 (2003), 7326-7338.

P.S. Fudaz, J.D. Dober, D.L. Jarman, J.M. Standard, and R.W. Quandt, "An Ab Initio Investigation of the Ground and First Two Excited Electronic States of the Difluoromethyl Radical," Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 107 (2003) 9730-9735.

T.D. Lash, D.A. Colby, and G.M. Ferrence, "Further Studies on the Synthesis of meso-Tetraarylazuliporphyrins under Lindsey-Rothemund Reaction Conditions and Their Conversion into Benzocarbaporphyrins," European Journal of Organic Chemistry 23 (2003) 4533-4548.

Presentations

B. Helmlink and J. Friesen, "Characterization of a Lipid-Activated CTP:Phosphocholine Cytidylyltransferase from Drosophila Melanogaster" 23rd Annual Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference, Chicago, IL, October 4, 2003.

J. Braker, K. Hodel, D. Mullins, and J. Friesen, "Role of the Amphipathic Alpha Helix of CTP:Phosphocholine Cytidylyltransferase" 23rd Annual Midwest Enzyme Chemistry Conference, Chicago, IL, October 4, 2003.