Mensacarcin is a stereogenic complex polyketide with potent anti-tumor activity produced by a soil-dwelling Streptomyces bottropensis. The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) 60 human tumor cell line anticancer drug screen (NCI-60) reveals mensacarcin’s cytostatic properties in almost all tested cell lines and distinct cytotoxic properties specifically in eight melanoma cell...
Inorganic structures play an important role in materials due to their versatility and diversity. A complete understanding of the structure of a material is vital to enhance the creation of new materials that fill voids in research. The rational design of these compounds is driven by the exploitation of structure-property...
Novel donor-type graphite intercalation compounds (GICs) containing tetra-n-alkylammonium (TAA) cations have been synthesized by using both ion-exchange and electrochemical methods. Structural and compositional data of the resulting TAA-GICs are investigated by using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), one-dimensional electron density calculations, thermogravimetric and elemental analyses, and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). A...
Fungi have long been a prolific source of clinically approved drugs. The antibiotic penicillin, the cholesterol lowering statins, and the immunosuppressant cyclosporine have changed the treatment of human diseases in the last century. Recently, genome analysis of filamentous fungi has revealed that the biosynthetic potential for natural product expression is...
Structure-property relationships have always underpinned the field of solid state chemistry; dependable structural descriptions are integral to understanding and controlling the physical properties of inorganic compounds old and new. While a handful of crystal structures are celebrated for their versatility, flexibility, and functionality, the existence of more exotic structures is...
My work on computing complex catalyzed organic transformations reveals that only a few subtle chemical factors, e.g. non-classical hydrogen bonding, (hyper)conjugation and steric effects, common across different catalyst manifolds are critical for catalysis and selectivity. Rational manipulation and exploitation of these factors has led to improved catalyst designs, which has...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants formed from the incomplete combustion of organic material. These contaminants are of concern because of their widespread presence in the environment and toxic properties. In addition, PAHs encompass a class of diverse compounds with varying physicochemical properties and exist in the environment as...
The materials Fe₂(Si,Ge)(S,Se)₄, Cu₃PS[subscript 4-x]Se[subscript x] (0 ≤ x ≤ 4), and Cu₃PxAs[subscript 1-x]S₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) have been synthesized and studied as new earth-abundant absorbers for single and multijunction photovoltaic cells as well as solar fuel generation. The synthesis, single-crystal growth, and optical and electrical properties of...
Aqueous hydroxo Hf nanoclusters enable studies to identify and codify steps in the deposition of Hf-based oxide thin films from solution precursors. HfOCl2 reacts with combinations of H2O2(aq), acids, and TMAH to produce polymetal species at high pH and low pH. X-ray scattering and spectroscopic methods reveal the nature of...
The solution chemistry and kinetic behavior of hafnium peroxy sulfate solutions ("HafSOx") is described in terms of peroxide content and solution speciation. Additionally, thin film behavior, including thermal behavior and solubility, is characterized, and a mechanism of patterning is presented, as well as parameters that should be considered when looking...