The seminar will focus on recent advancements in enhancing the efficiency of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) in water electrocatalysis.

Ultrafast Two-Dimensional (2D) Spectroscopy is a powerful technique that has provided valuable insight into diverse systems from protein folding to isomerization of metal complexes. We aim to bring this technique to the realm of small molecules in molecular beams. 2D spectroscopy is unique because it allows for the direct measurement of coupled excitations, represented by off diagonal peaks within the spectra.

Magnetoreception plays a key role in the migration of the European robin. Cryptochrome (Cry) is believed to be responsible for the ability of these birds to detect the direction of the geomagnetic field during migration. A cofactor of cryptochrome, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) absorbs blue light, resulting in a ᴨ to ᴨ* transition.

Radical reactions have enjoyed widespread applications in both small molecule and macromolecule synthesis. However, it remains challenging to control the stereochemistry of radical transformations and to discover novel modes of radical catalysis which are not known in either organic chemistry or biochemistry. Combining synthetic chemistry, enzymology and protein engineering, our group advanced two new biocatalytic strategies for stereoselective free radical processes.

Interested in learning more about the UGA Department of Chemistry, or just chemistry in general? Stop by the Department of Chemistry Open House on Thursday, August 22, from 2:30-4:00 p.m. There will be chemistry demonstrations, food, department swag, and more. Meet the faculty and grad students, check out the various organizations, learn more about research opportunities, and find out what it's like to major (or minor) in Chemistry. Everyone is welcome!

Vinigrol, a natural product first isolated in 1987, has been studied extensively due to its unique structure and biological properties, including antihypertensive and platelet aggregation-inhibiting effects. Vinigrol has a unprecedented 6-6-8 tricyclic ring system with an axial four-carbon bridge, eight contiguous stereocenters, and a strained bicyclo[5.3.1]undecane ring similar to taxol.

The development of catalytic complexity-building transformations is essential to efficient synthetic design.¹  The capacity of a single catalyst to induce multiple bond-forming events can facilitate the rapid construction of molecules of interest.

Quantum technologies based on molecular electron spin coherence afford unique potential in miniaturization, spatial localization, and tunability through synthetic chemistry and biomolecular integration. However, many applications within molecular quantum information science hinge on slowing down spin relaxation, a process that effectively leaks quantum information into the environment. Additionally, applications such as quantum sensing with molecular quantum bits (qubits) have only recently undergone exploration.