In recent years significant progress has been made towards understanding the molecular and cellular mechanism by which cells “feel” their environment. There exists a complex relationship between the behavior of a cell, its physical properties, and its surrounding environment.

In 2021, Americans spent $525 million on oral solid dosage forms, of which tablets made up 53.1% of the market. (1). Tablets are the most popular drug delivery method because of the relatively low cost of ingredients, ease of manufacturing, and high patient compliance (1).

Amanda Frossard, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, was awarded an CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This is the most prestigious award given by NSF to early career faculty. This award includes five years of funding to support Dr. Frossard’s research and teaching in the field of atmospheric chemistry. Her work will focus on understanding the chemical and physical properties of surfactants in atmospheric aerosol particles and measuring the influence of surfactants on aerosol particle hygroscopic growth.

Dr. Kelly Hines, Assistant Professor in the UGA Department of Chemistry, will receive an ASMS Research Award at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.

The Department of Chemistry will host its annual Alumni Weekend event on April 14 and 15, to include tours of the new STEM facility, the Alumni Lecture, Awards Banquet, and Golf Scramble. The 2023 Chemistry Alumni Lecture will be given on Friday afternoon April 14 by Dr.

The size and composition of atmospheric aerosol particles modulate their interactions with solar radiation, and thus their influence on climate and visibility. The radiative effects of aerosol particles remain a large uncertainty in accurately modeling and predicting current and future climates. Recent work has demonstrated the presence of organic surfactant molecules in atmospheric aerosol particles, and their sources and transformations in the atmosphere are currently being studied.

Richard A. Dluhy,¹ Amareshwari Konutham¹, Shaiju S Nazeer¹, 
Joo-Yeun Oh², Amit Gaggar², and Rakesh P. Patel², 

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294
²Department of Pathology and Center for Free Radical Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294

Children never cease to be fascinated by toy gyroscopes, which commonly consist of (1) a rotating axis and disk, and (2) two to four spokes that connect the termini of the axis. This talk will describe syntheses of molecules that duplicate the connectivity, symmetry, and rotational ability of such gyroscopes. Complexes with trans R₃P-ML_n -PR3 linkages are first prepared, with R groups that terminate with a CH=CH₂ moiety. Then alkene metathesis followed by hydrogenation is used to construct three-spoked cage molecules.

Molecular editing has recently gained attention as an emerging strategy to diversify and enable the building of complex molecules, and it directly modifies the core of the molecular skeleton.