Enzymes are natural catalysts that orchestrate metabolic processes in live cells. Because of their high efficiency, selectivity, and biocompatibility, the applications of these catalysts were extended to many industrial and biomedical technologies for chemical synthesis, biofuel production and food industries. Here I will present my research on modification of lysozyme and cellulases with polymer and DNA scaffolds, where the enzyme complex would be more suitable with industrial applications.

Ferritin is an iron storage protein found in numerous species including human beings. Each ferritin consists of 24 subunits which self-assemble into a 12-nm cage, with an 8-nm cavity. The pH-dependent dissociation and re-association of monomers provides a facile approach to encapsulate therapeutics into ferritin cages. Surface modification can also be readily achieved by either chemical conjugation or genetic engineering.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid prescribed for pain management, but has been increasingly used as an adulterant in illicit substances. Fentanyl is harmful enough that 2 milligrams can cause an overdose, and has been recently implicated in the sharp increase of drug-related deaths in the United States. Current field detection methods utilize color tests. These methods have inherent bias and can result in false positives. They also require on-site reagent mixing, and microscopic quantities of material, making them unsuitable for safe field testing.

This research project stems from the desire to explore and eventually harness the enzymatic mechanism of 4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furan-
carboxaldehyde-phosphate synthase (MfnB). The enzyme of interest, MfnB, is found most prominently in methanogens and has the ability to catalyze five or more separate chemical transformations in a single active site. This singular enzyme takes two molecules of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate to create a furan-containing compound 4-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furan-carboxaldehyde-phosphate. The US.

Electrochemical atomic layer deposition( E-ALD) is a technique pioneered by the Stickney research group. E-ALD makes use of underpotential deposition to deposit surface limited amounts of material, improving control and quality of thin films.1 In order to create a successful deposition sequence, cyclic voltammetry studies are done to find appropriate deposition parameters. Choice of solution electrolyte and pH have major impact on the deposited films. In these studies, both SnSe and GeSe are investigated.

Scott C. Warren, Ph.D.

The ability to alter distances between atoms is among the most important tools in materials design.  Despite this importance, controlling the interlayer distance in stacks of 2D materials remains a challenge.  This talk will present two strategies for controlling this distance, thereby giving rise to several fascinating new classes of materials for electronics and energy storage.

In this talk, I will discuss recent work in our group in which we made connections between proton transfer processes and hydrogen bonding and vibrational frequencies and intensities.  Due to the large amplitude motions associated with proton transfer along a hydrogen bond, the vibrational spectra of these systems contain features that cannot be understood by the usual harmonic description of molecular vibrations, and even the widths of anticipated features encode information about these anharmonic couplings.  The breakdown of the harmonic tre

The lecture deals with the calculation of various spectroscopic properties of molecules. Electron impact mass spectrometry, the automated simulation of infrared spectra for unknown compound identification, 1H-NMR spectra, as well as optical spectra and electronically excited states are considered. The examples shown either deal with large systems (e.g. full QM protein treatments) or involve huge structural ensembles of medium-sized drug-type molecules (for IR or NMR).

Vehicles, power plants, agricultural burning, and forest fires are examples of combustion sources whose particulate emissions – known as particulate matter (PM) or aerosols – have profound yet poorly characterized effects on public health and climate. In this seminar, I will present an overview of the state of science of the environmental impacts of combustion aerosols and highlight some of the knowledge gaps.

Prof. Charles R. Kutal, 75, of the UGA Chemistry Department passed away Friday, August 30, 2019 at his home in Athens.



Chuck was born August 9, 1944 in Chicago, IL to Charles George Kutal and Mildred David Kutal.  He married Judy Gombos in April 1974, and they celebrated their 45^th wedding anniversary recently.