The Roitberg group describes a method to calculate accurate molecular energies without the computational cost

The Roitberg group has recently published a method that uses Machine learning techniques, to compute highly accurate energies, but at a low computational cost.

Photographer: Bernard Brzezinski, UF Press Office

2017 Tarrant Summer Graduate Research Scholarships

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the second annual Tarrant Summer Graduate Research Scholarships. The endowment honors Prof. Paul Tarrant, a member of our department from 1946 to 1981, and this award promotes outstanding research for graduate students working in the Division of Organic Chemistry.

This year’s recipients are Adrian Figg and Danielle Fagnani. Adrian received his B.A. in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is a member of Prof. Brent Sumerlin’s research group. His research involves the synthesis of precise polymeric materials using end-group functionalization techniques and dispersion polymerization. Danielle received her B.S. degree in chemistry from Drexel University and is currently a member of Prof. Ron Castellano’s research group. She studies the design, synthesis, and supramolecular properties of novel aromatic systems.

Congratulations to Adrian and Danielle!

New chemistry building opens its doors

“…the striking new chemistry/chemical biology building sits on the corner of Buckman Drive and University Avenue as if it always should have been there. The building’s dedication took place on Friday, April 21.”

“‘Chemistry is a symbol for what a 21st-century land-grant university should be. Even on our own campus, people don’t realize what a good chemistry department we have. This is a celebration, not just of a building but of a department, not just for what we’ve done, but for what we’re going to do,’ Machen said.”

“Dave Richardson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and former chair of the chemistry department, has called the building ‘magnificent’ and ‘marvelous.'”

by Gigi Marino
photography: Betsey Hansen, Tyler Jones, Mirador Studios

For the complete article, check out http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2017/04/new-chemistry-building-opens-its-doors.php (opens in new tab)

For photos and videos, CLICK HERE (opens in new tab).

For department history, CLICK HERE (opens in new tab).

UF names Professor Adam Veige as a UFRF Professors for 2017-2020

The University of Florida Research Foundation named�Professor Adam Veige�as one of 34 UFRF Professors for 2017-2020. UF recognizes faculty members for having distinguished current records of research and strong research agendas likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields.

University of Florida researchers have identified addictive nut’s derivatives that could help smokers break their nicotine addictions

Worldwide, over 1 billion people smoke cigarette and 600 million chew betel quid, an addicting mix of areca palm nut that can include tobacco. University of Florida researchers have identified at least one compound derived from the areca nut that targets the nicotinic receptor subtypes involved in nicotine addiction. In a collaboration between Roger L. Papke, Ph.D. (UF Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Nicole A Horenstein, Ph.D. (UF Chemistry), they reported data last year on the nut’s active ingredient, arecoline. Horenstein and coworkers are synthesizing promising new arecoline derivatives, with the goal to treat nicotine and possibly Areca nut addictions without side effects associated with current smoking cessation drugs. Horenstein was featured in an ACS press release and she presented their findings earlier this month at the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in San Francisco on April, 5, 2017.

More information on the April 5th presentation at ACS:

University of Florida researchers have identified addictive nut’s derivatives that could help smokers break their nicotine addictions

“Worldwide, over 1 billion people smoke cigarette and 600 million chew betel quid, an addicting mix of areca palm nut that can include tobacco. University of Florida researchers have identified at least one compound derived from the areca nut that targets the nicotinic receptor subtypes involved in nicotine addiction. In a collaboration between Roger L. Papke, Ph.D. (UF Pharmacology and Therapeutics) and Nicole A Horenstein, Ph.D. (UF Chemistry), they reported data last year on the nut’s active ingredient, arecoline. Horenstein and coworkers are synthesizing promising new arecoline derivatives, with the goal to treat nicotine and possibly Areca nut addictions without side effects associated with current smoking cessation drugs. Horenstein was featured in an ACS press release and she presented their findings earlier this month at the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in San Francisco on April, 5, 2017.”

Prof. George Christou receives a 2017 SEC Faculty Achievement Award

Distinguished Professor George Christou is one of fourteen Southeastern Conference (SEC) faculty members who have been named winners of a 2017 SEC Faculty Achievement Award. Established in 2012, these awards honor one faculty member from each SEC university who has excelled in teaching, research and scholarship. Each winner receives an honorarium from the SEC and becomes their university?s nominee for the subsequent SEC Professor of the Year Award to be announced in April. The SEC Universities are Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.

Prof. Christou’s research is in synthetic and physical-inorganic chemistry of the transition metals, and spans molecular nanoscience, bioinorganic chemistry, and molecular magnetism.

Aponick Group research featured on the JACS website masthead

“A recently published paper by the�Aponick Group�is featured on the�JACS�website. The work, entitled “Enantioselective Alkyne Conjugate Addition Enabled by Readily Tuned Atropisomeric P,N-Ligands” describes how moving from the traditional 6-membered atropisomeric biaryl ligand architecture to chiral biaryl ligands containing a 5-membered heterocycle facilitates tuning. By the nature of the scaffold structure, ligand congeners are readily prepared, enabling one to address issues of selectivity and reactivity.”

Aponick Group research featured on the JACS website masthead

A recently published paper by the Aponick Group (opens in new tab) is featured on the JACS (opens in new tab) website. The work, entitled “Enantioselective Alkyne Conjugate Addition Enabled by Readily Tuned Atropisomeric P,N-Ligands” describes how moving from the traditional 6-membered atropisomeric biaryl ligand architecture to chiral biaryl ligands containing a 5-membered heterocycle facilitates tuning. By the nature of the scaffold structure, ligand congeners are readily prepared, enabling one to address issues of selectivity and reactivity.

As an illustrative example, co-workers Sourabh Mishra and Ji Liu reported several novel ligands and identified Me-StackPhos as optimal for the enantioselective, direct conjugate addition of alkynes to ?,?-unsaturated Meldrum’s acids. The reaction scope was quite broad, allowing them to use this as a key reaction in the synthesis of OPC 51803, a pre-clinical agent that had previously only been prepared via classical resolution of off-path intermediates.

For more information, see the article at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.7b00363 (opens in new tab)

Professor Weihong Tan named Associate Editor of JACS

University Distinguished Professor Weihong Tan has been appointed as an Associate Editor of Journal of American Chemical Society (JACS). JACS, founded in 1879, is the flagship journal of the American Chemical Society and the world’s preeminent journal in all of chemistry and interfacing areas of science. In 2015, JACS published 2379 papers with more than half a million citations. JACS is devoted to the publication of fundamental research papers and publishes approximately 19,000 pages of Articles, Communications, and Perspectives a year. Published weekly, JACS provides research essential to the field of chemistry and interfacing areas.

Professor Tan’s research is in the general area of Chemical Biology and Bioanalytical Chemistry. He specializes in molecular engineering, nucleic acid chemistry, aptamers and DNA nanotechnology as well as biosensors. He served as the Associate Editor for Analytical Chemistry from 2014 till 2016. He is currently on the editorial board of many renowned scientific journals such as JACS, ACS Nano, Chemical Sciences, National Science Review and Science China: Chemistry, Science Bulletin, Nano Research, NPG Asia Materials, and American Journal of Translational Research, Nanomedicine etc.