Fall 2013 NEWSLETTER
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Fall 2013 NEWSLETTER Welcome from the Chair Inside Greetings from Ann Arbor! “Experience” is a common thread in the notable work of the Department of Chemistry over the last year. New Faculty ........................................................... 2 Bringing considerable research experience with them to the Faculty News.......................................................... 3 department are four new faculty members. Read more about their Koreeda Profile ......................................................9 explorations in atmospheric chemistry from Andrew Ault and Kerri Undergraduate Program News .............................10 Pratt, new synthetic methods development from Corey Stephenson, and synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry from Corrina Faculty Retrospective...........................................12 Schindler. We are excited to welcome them to UM. Undergraduate Degrees........................................15 Several faculty members with more than a decade of experience Graduate Program News ......................................16 at UM have been recognized for their distinguished careers with Gifts .......................................................................18 named professorships. I was pleased to honor one of the power couples of Chemistry, Jerome and Isabella Karle, with my distin- In Memoriam ........................................................20 guished university professorship. We are also proud to announce Alumni News ........................................................22 the promotion of two faculty members based on their outstanding Alumni Reply Form ................................. back cover accomplishments: Ann McNeil to Associate Professor with tenure and Kristina Hakansson to Professor with tenure. Donations ....................................reply envelope flap Also, numerous external awards over the past year have recog- nized the research and teaching excellence of the Chemistry faculty. University begins to look ahead to its 200th anniversary in 2017. We have long recognized the value of research experiences for An experience deferred for 55 years was the PhD hooding our students. This year marked the 25th summer for our NSF-funded ceremony for alum Ken Wyckoff who was unable to participate Research Experience for Undergraduates site program. With the in commencement with his class in 1958. We were pleased to support of our faculty, alumni, and friends we are expanding op- share this experience in May 2013 with Ken and his family and portunities for student research experience in several ways. his accomplishments were recognized with a standing ovation. • Koreeda Fund for Student Research recognizes the outstanding An experience not to be missed is a reunion for Chemistry research mentoring that Professor Masato Koreeda provides alumni and graduate students being planned by the UM Chemistry our undergraduates. This new endowment will support student Professional Development Organization for late summer or early researchers, particularly undergraduates. Read more on page 9. fall. Watch for details for this opportunity to talk with our students. • Our expanded Summer Scholars Fund provides support for more I hope that you enjoy hearing about the Department and I invite than 25 UM chemistry and biochemistry majors taking part in you to visit anytime that you are in town. I thank you for your summer research experiences. support and I look forward to talking with you. • A major gift from Wayne A. and Carol H. Pletcher has established Best wishes, a fund providing support for graduate students. Carol Ann Fierke, Chair, • A substantial bequest from alum James Davis established the Jerome and Isabella Karle Distinguished University Professor James and Madalene Davis Graduate Fellowship Fund, which of Chemistry, Professor of Biological Chemistry supports Davis Fellows who spend the summer before starting their graduate studies conducting research. • A pledged bequest from the Gladysz family will support under- This newsletter is published once each year by the University of graduate research and endow the Edward and Margean Gladysz Michigan Department of Chemistry, 930 N. University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055 www.lsa.umich.edu/chem Associate Professorship. Looking back on the experience of almost 50 years in the Depart- Chair: Carol Fierke ment, in a special treat in this newsletter, Professor Emeritus Robert Editor: Arthur J. Ashe, III Kuczkowski shares a condensed version of Department history, as the Alumni News: Arthur J. Ashe, III, Robert Kuczkowski Publication: Agnes Soderbeck, Suzanne Tainter Spotlight on New Faculty multiphase chemistry). For nanoparticles, Pratt’s group. This instrument provides size size, morphology, layering, dissolution, and dual polarity mass spectra for individual and aggregation can have large impacts particles in real-time. The rapid particle on usage and health. analysis and real-time nature complement the detailed offline analysis by Raman Many of the same characterization microspectroscopy. Together these tools techniques can be utilized to set both types allow us to study particles formed from of particles. The two instruments that form low volatility gases in remote forests, to the backbone of our analytical approach emissions from industry, to engineered are Raman microspectroscopy and an nanoparticles in the human gut. aerosol-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS). Raman microspectroscopy Andrew Ault, Assistant Professor allows us to study individual particles PhD: University of California, San Diego and obtain functional group information PostDoc: University of Iowa (from vibrational spectra), optical imaging, Analytical, Physical, & Environmental and spectral mapping of specific features. Chemistry By modulating the relative humidity and Atmospheric particles and engineered temperature of samples, key chemical nanoparticles both have extremely complex properties can be probed at atmospheric chemical and physical properties. A single pressure. The functional group information atmospheric particle can contain thousands is complemented by electron microscopy of different compounds, undergo many types with energy dispersive X-ray analysis of chemical processes (aqueous chemistry, that can give information on the elements photochemistry, heterogeneous reactions, present. The second critical instrument, changes in phase, surface reactions, and ATOFMS, is being built with Prof. Kerri Corey Stephenson, with respect to interactions between urban Associate Professor pollution and trace gas emissions from PhD: University of Pittsburgh forests, as well as feedbacks associated PostDoc: ETH Zurich with sea ice loss in the Arctic. We use a New Methods Development, Catalysis, Organometallic Chemistry and Complex field-portable single-particle mass spec- Molecule Synthesis trometer to measure the size and chemistry of individual particles in real-time. Trace Research in our group is focused gas composition is measured using a field- primarily upon the development of new portable on-line chemical ionization mass strategies and methodologies for the syn- spectrometer, as well as gas chromatogra- thesis of natural products. Of particular phy coupled with mass spectrometry. To interest are the discovery of practical new study the molecular composition of high processes which utilize the redox chemistry molecular weight organics, electrospray of visible light activated metal complexes. Kerri Pratt, Assistant Professor ionization coupled with high-resolution Visible light sensitization is an attractive PhD: University of California-San Diego mass spectrometry is used to probe am- means to initiate organic reactions due PostDoc: Purdue University bient samples. These measurements of to the lack of visible light absorbance by Mass Spectrometry Studies of the In- trace gases, aerosols, and cloud water are organic compounds thereby reducing the teractions of Atmospheric Trace Gases, complemented by one-dimensional model- side reactions that are often associated Particles, and Clouds with the Biosphere ing of chemical reaction mechanisms and with photochemical reactions conducted and Cryosphere kinetics to examine and predict chemistry with high energy UV light. These pho- The Pratt group focuses on studies of versus altitude and time. These studies tocatalysts offer a means to selectively interactions between atmospheric trace will improve our understanding of the functionalize organic molecules with the gases, particles, and clouds using novel mass feedbacks between natural aerosol sources, appropriate choice of an excited state spectrometry techniques. In particular, we anthropogenic emissions, and the Earth quencher. These processes offer improved tackle the major uncertainties that exist in system for future climate and air quality chemoselectivity (and strategic advantages our understanding of atmospheric aerosols predictions. when employed in total synthesis) over current approaches while also enabling 2 2013 Faculty News the reduction of stoichiometric waste Distinguished University Professorship for Carol Fierke byproducts. In particular, we are focusing our efforts in the following areas: (1) the Carol A. Fierke was named the Jerome and Isa- development of new methodologies based bella Karle Distinguished University Professor upon visible light initiated electron transfer of Chemistry. reactions; (2) applications of these methods to complex natural product synthesis; (3) A Distinguished University Professorship technology-enabled