University of Richmond Department of Chemistry Seminar Program

2024-2025 POWELL CHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES SCHEDULE

Date	Presenter, Seminar Title	Host (Room)
Aug 30^th 1:30pm	Organizational & Introductory Meeting with Chem 322/421/422 Students	Simpson (GOTW A001)
Sept 6^th 1:30pm	Professor Adrian Figg Assistant Professor of Chemistry Virginia Tech Title: Acrylic Copolymer Structures from Photoredox-Mediated RAFT Polymerizations Reference: Baker, JG, Zhang, R, Figg, CA “Installing a Single Monomer with Acrylic Polymers Using Photoredox Catalysis” J. of the Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 106-111.	Simpson (GOTW A001)
Sept 13^th 1:30pm	Professor Ka Un Lao Assistant Professor of Chemistry Virginia Commonwealth University Title: Exploring Next-Generation Quantum Chemistry Calculations: Leveraging a Toolbox with Grassmannians, Fragmentation, and Machine Learning References: (1) Ballesteros, F, Tan, JA, Lao, KU “An accurate and efficient fragmentation approach via the generalized many-body expansion for density matrices” J. Chem. Phys. 2023, 159, 074107; (2) Villot, C, Lao, KU “Ab initio dispersion potentials based on physics-based functional forms with machine learning” J. Chem. Phys. 2024, 160, 184103.	Tan & Donald (GOTW A001)
Sept 20^th 1:30pm	AXE Research Seminar Professor Michael Norris (UR Chemistry) Professor Ted Bunn (UR Physics) Professor Jonathan Dattelbaum (UR Chemistry)	(GOTW A001)
Sept 27^th	No seminar because of the University of Richmond College of Arts & Sciences Faculty & Staff Symposium
Oct 4^th	No seminar just because
Oct 11^th 1:30pm	Professor Heather B. Miller Associate Professor of Biochemistry High Point University Title: From Antihistamine to Anti-infective: Loratadine Combats Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Modulating Virulence, Antibiotic Resistance, and Biofilm Genes References: (1) Viering, BL, Balogh, H, Cox, CF, Kirpekar, OK, Akers, AL, Federico, VA, Valenzano, GZ, Stempel, R, Pickett, HL, Lundin, PM, Blackledge, MS, Miller, HB “Loratadine Combats Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus by Modulating Virulence, Antibiotic Resistance, and Biofilm Genes” ACS Infect. Dis., 2024, 10, 232-250; (2) Cutrona, N, Gillard, K, Ulrich, R, Seeman, M, Miller, HB, Blackledge, MS “From Antihistamine to Anti-infective: Loratadine Inhibition of Regulatory PASTA Kinases in Staphylococci Reduces Biofilm Formation and Potentiates β‑Lactam Antibiotics and Vancomycin in Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus aureus” ACS Infect. Dis. 2019, from https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00096.	Pollock (GOTW A001)
Oct 18^th 1:30pm	Chemistry Senior Marcos Hendler Title: The Effect of Bicyclic Chalcogen-Phosphorus Rings on the Bergman Cyclization References: (1) Bergman, RG “Reactive 1,4-dehydroaromatics” Acc. of Chem. Res., 1973, 6(1), 25-31; (2) Kraka, E, Cremer, D “Investigation of the Bergman Cyclization of Enediyne. Relative Stability of o-, m-, and p-Didehydrobenzene” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1994, 116(11), 4929-4936. Chemistry Senior Raechel Parent Title: Optimizing the catalytic efficiency of cerium(IV) in cyclic di-GMP hydrolysis with ligands References: (1) Matsumura, K, Komiyama, M “Enormously Fast RNA Hydrolysis by Lanthanide(III) Ions under Physiological Conditions: Eminent Candidates for Novel Tools of Biotechnology” J. Biochem., 1997, 122, 387-394; (2) Komiyama, M, Takeda, N, Shigekawa, H “Hydrolysis of DNA and RNA by lanthanide ions: mechanistic studies leading to new applications” Chem. Commun., 1999, 1443-1451; Cullis, PM, Snip, E “Stereochemical Course of Cerium(IV)-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Cyclic Nucleotides” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1999, 121, 6125-6130.	(GOTW C114)
Oct 25^th	No seminar because of the SERMACS meeting
Nov 1^st 1:30pm	Dr. David Gooden Research Scientist Duke University Title: 25 Years Underground. Selected Chemical Adventures From My Time At Duke Selected References: (1) Carlson, DL, Kowalewski, M, Bodoor, K, Lietzan, AD, Hughes, PF, Gooden, D, Loiselle, DR, Alcorta, D, Dingman, Z, Mueller, EA, Irnov, I, Modla, S, Chaya, T, Caplan, J, Embers, M, Miller, JC, Jacobs-Wagner, C, Redinbo, MR, Spector, N, Haystead, TAJ “Targeting Borrelia burgdorferi HtpG with a berserker molecule, a strategy for anti-microbial development” Cell Chemical Biology, 2024, 31, 465-476; (2) Zhao, J, Cochrane, CS, Najeeb, J, Gooden, D, Sciandra, C, Fan, P, Lemaitre, N, Newns, K, Nicholas, RA, Guan, Z, Thaden, JT, Fowler Jr, JD, Spasojevic, I, Sebbane, F, Toone, EJ, Duncan, C, Gammans, R, Zhou, P “Preclinical safety and efficacy characterization of an LpxC inhibitor against Gram-negative pathogens” Science Translational Medicine, 2023, 15, eadf5668.	Pollock (GOTW A001)
Nov 8^th	No seminar because of Physical chemistry candidate seminar earlier in the week
Nov 15^th	No seminar because of Physical chemistry candidate seminar earlier in the week
Nov 22^nd	No seminar because of Physical chemistry candidate seminar earlier in the week
Nov 29^th	No seminar because of the THANKSGIVING break
Dec 6^th 1:30pm	Professor Phil Castellano — CANCELLED! Professor of Chemistry NC State University Title: Steric and Electronic Influence of Excited State Decay in Cu(I) MLCT Chromophores Reference: Castellano, FN, Rosko, MC “Steric and Electronic Influence of Excited-State Decay in Cu(I) MLCT Chromophores” Acc. Chem. Res., 2024, (in press) https: //doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00476.	Dattelbaum (GOTW A001)
Jan 17^th, 2025 1:30pm	Professor Alexandra Strom Assistant Professor of Chemistry Smith College Title: Iron-Catalyzed Reactions of Ketones: From Amination to Cycloaromatization References: Song, F, Park, SH, Wu, C, Strom, AE “Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative α-Amination of Ketones with Primary and Secondary Sulfonamides” J. Org. Chem, 2023, 88, 3353-3358; Parrales, GM, Hollin, NC, Song, F, Lyu, Y, Martin, AMO, Strom, A “Mechanism of Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative α-Amination of Ketones with Sulfonamides” J. Org. Chem, 2024, 89, 12462-12466.	Johnson (GOTW A001)
Jan 24^th 1:30pm	Responsible Conduct of Research	Parish and Pollock (GOTW A001)
Jan 31^st 1:30pm	No seminar.	(GOTW C114)
Feb 7^th 1:30pm	Professor Evan Hepler-Smith Assistant Professor of History Duke University Title: The history of chemical information: Helping history and chemistry help each other References: Hepler-Smith, E. Systematic Flexibility and the History of the IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry. Chemistry International 2015, 37 (2), 10–14. https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2015-0232. Hepler-Smith, E.; McEwen, L. A Century of Nomenclature for Chemists and Machines. Chemistry International 2019, 41 (3), 46–49. https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2019-0315. Hepler-Smith, E. “Just as the Structural Formula Does”: Names, Diagrams, and the Structure of Organic Chemistry at the 1892 Geneva Nomenclature Congress. Ambix 2015, 62 (1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1179/1745823414Y.0000000006. Hepler-Smith, E. Paper Chemistry: François Dagognet and the Chemical Graph. Ambix 2018, 65 (1), 76–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/00026980.2017.1418232. Hepler-Smith, E. Molecular Bureaucracy: Toxicological Information and Environmental Protection. Enviro Hist 2019, 24 (3), 534–560. https://doi.org/10.1093/envhis/emy134. Hepler-Smith, E. “A Way of Thinking Backwards”: Computing and Method in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences 2018, 48 (3), 300–337. https://doi.org/10.1525/hsns.2018.48.3.300	Seeman (GOTW A001)
Feb 14^th 1:30pm	Chemistry Senior Andrew Watts Title: Electron-rich aniline as cleavable linkers for peptides References: Watts, AM, Hughes, CJ, Clausen, GA, Yanar, P, Wolff, EJ, Rubio, PR, Stuart, NM, Shugrue, CR “Electron-rich anilines as cleavable linkers for peptides” Bioorg. Chem. 2025, 154, 108084, ISSN 0045-2068, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.108084; Taggart, EL, Wolff, EJ, Yanar, P, Blobe, JP, Shugrue, CR “Development of an oxazole-based cleavable linker for peptides” Bioorg. & Med. Chem. 2024, 102, 117663, ISSN 0968-0896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117663.	(GOTW C114)
Feb 21^st 1:30pm	Chemistry Senior Nehal Asif Title: CO2 Reduction to Methanol via Organocatalysts References: (1) van Rague Schleyer P, Jiao H, van Eikema Hommes NJR, Malkin VG, Malkina OL “An Evaluation of the Aromaticity of Inorganic Rings: Refined Evidence from Magnetic Properties, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 12669-12670; (2) Mohler LK, Czarnik AW “alpha-Amino Acid Chelative Complexation by an Arylboronic Acid” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1993, 115, 7037-7038; (3) Maki T, Ishihara K, Yamamoto H “4,5,6,7-Tetrachlorobenzo[d][1,3,2]dioxaborol-2-ol as an Effective Catalyst for the Amide Condensation of Sterically Demanding Carboxylic Acids” Org. Lett., 2006, 8(7), 1431-1434; (4) Thilagar P, Chen J, Lalancette RA, Jakle F “Reversible Formation of a Planar Chiral Ferrocenylboroxine and Its Supramolecular Structure” Organometallics, 2011, 30, 6734-6741. Chemistry Senior Louisa Fiertz Title: Ring-Enlargement of in Situ Generated Cyclopropanones by the Reaction with Sulfonium Ylides: One-Pot Synthesis of Cyclobutanones References: (1) Lange M, Werz DB “Ring-Enlargement of in Situ Generated Cyclopropanones by the Reaction with Sulfonium Ylides: One-Pot Synthesis of Cyclobutanones” Org. Lett., 2024, 26(46), 9871-9876; (2) Poteat CM, Jang Y, Jung M, Johnson JD, Williams RG, Lindsay VNG “Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclopropanone Equivalents and Application to the Formation of Chiral β-Lactams” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 18655-18661; (3) Poteat CM, Lindsay VNG “Stereospecific Synthesis of Enantioenriched Alkylidenecyclobutanones via Formal Vinylidene Insertion into Cyclopropanone Equivalents” Org. Lett., 2021, 23, 6482-6487; (4) Chigboh K, Morton D, Nadin A, Stockman RA “Synthesis of Chiral Non-Racemic Substituted Vinyl Aziridines” Tetrahedron Lett., 2008, 49, 4768-4770.	(GOTW C114)
Feb 28^th 1:30pm	Professor Megan Jackson Assistant Professor of Chemistry University of North Carolina Title: Spatially resolved mechanistic studies at electrode–electrolyte and gas–liquid interfaces Reference: Ortiz Chua K, Jackson MN “Step Edge Defects Have Nanoscale Impact on the Electronic Structure in Semiconducting Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Electrocatalysts” J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2025, 147(5) 4643-4653.	Norris (GOTW A001)
Mar 7^th 1:30pm	Professor Steven Metallo Associate Professor of Chemistry Georgetown University Title: Disordered yet specific: small-molecule binding to the intrinsically disordered protein c-Myc References: (1) Jaiprashad R, De Silva SR, Fred Lucena LM, Meyer E, and Metallo SJ, “Portability of a Small-Molecule Binding Site between Disordered Proteins” Biomolecules 2022, 12(12), 1887. PMID: 36551315; (2) Dobrev, VS, Fred, LM, Gerhart, KP, Metallo, SJ, “Characterization of the Binding of Small Molecules to Intrinsically Disordered Proteins” Methods in Enzymology 2018, 611, 677-702. PMID: 30471704; (3) Metallo, SJ, “Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Are Potential Drug Targets” Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 2010, 14, 481-488. PMID: 20598937	Simpson (GOTW A001)
Mar 14^th	SPRING BREAK
Mar 21^st 1:30pm and evening	POWELL LECTURE Professor David MacMillan James S. McDonnell Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Princeton UniversityTitle: Chemistry and catalysis as a passport to the world: From Scotland to the US to the Nobel PrizeReference: Chan, AY, Ghosh A, Yarranton, JT, Twilton, J, Jin, J, Arias-Rotondo, DM, Sakai HA, McCusker JK, MacMillan, DWC “Exploiting the Marcus inverted region for first-row transition metal-based photoredox catalysis” Science, 2023 382, 191.	Downey (GOTW A001)
Mar 28^th 1:30pm	Chemistry Senior Aden Smigel Title: Antimicrobial compounds isolated by Aspergillus insulicola: A case study Reference: Sun, C, Zhang, Z, Ren Z, Yu, L, Zhou H, Han Y, Shah M, Che Q, Zhang G, Li D, Zhu, T “Antibacterial Cyclic Tripeptides from Antarctica-Sponge-Derived Fungus Aspergillis insulicola HDN151418″ Mar. Drugs, 2020, 18, 532. Chemistry Senior Parisa Mershon Title: Organizing and Automating a Natural Products Database References: (1) Kim S, Thiessen PA, Bolton EE, Chen J, Fu G, Gindulyte A, Han L, He J, Shoemaker BA, Wang J, Yu B, Zhang J, Bryant, SH “PubChem Substance and Compound Database” Nucleic Acids Res., 2015, 44 (D1), D1202-D1213; (2) Dalmau D, Alegre-Requena JV, “Integrating Digital Chemistry within the Broader Chemistry Community” Trends in Chem., 2024, 6 (8), 459-469.	(GOTW C114)
Apr 4^th 1:30pm	Chemistry Senior Sophie Goldberg Chemistry Senior Marianna Vrakas	(GOTW C114)
Apr 11^th 1:30pm	Chemistry Senior Nora Buell Chemistry Senior Lillian Owens Chemistry Senior Mark StrigelTitle: Synthesis of 4-isoxazolines through a one-pot heteroconjugate addition-cyclization-elimination reaction Reference: Sklar DE, Helbling AV, Liu Y, Downey CW “One-Pot Synthesis of 2-Methylfurans from 3-(Trimethylsilyl)propargyl Acetates Promoted by Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate” Tetrahedron Lett. 2021, 87, 153424	GOTW C114
Apr 18^th	UR School of Arts & Sciences Student Symposium
Apr 25th	Chemistry Department Student Awards