Two studies were conducted involving rare earth elements. In the
first study, the use of rare earth diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid
(DTPA) complexes as stable actiable tracers, a method of stable-isotope
tracing with post-sampling neutron activation analysis, was explored.
The persistence of rare earth DTPA complexes in estuarine waters was
measured in...
The high resolution stimulated Raman spectrometer at OSU was
modified to improve its sensitivity and to extend its range of
applications to low Raman shifts and to the spectroscopy of solids and
liquids. As part of the characterization of the spectrometer, optical
Stark effects on rotational and vibrational transitions of...
Part I of this dissertation includes the chronological synthetic background of mandelalide A as well as the synthesis of the C1-C14 glycosylated southern subunit of mandelalide. A key aspect of the synthesis includes a novel silver-catalyzed cyclization (AgCC) of a propargylic benzoate to construct the substituted cis-pyran ring system present...
My work has focused on investigating synthetic organic reactions using applied computational methods. Non-covalent interactions are critical to catalysis, mechanism, and stereoselectivity, with the most prominent interaction for isothioureas being the S···O contact between the catalyst sulfur atom and the oxygen of the acyl group. A comprehensive joint experimental and...