Chemistry Newsletter - 02/01/1999

 

University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Chemistry Newsletter

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XXXIV No. 5

February 1st, 1999

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Proposed Finance Committee and Department Meeting Dates

Spring 1999

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Department Committee - Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. In Room 8335.

February 2

March 2

April 13

May 4

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Finance Committee - Tuesday at 1:20 p.m. - In Room 1301.

February 9	February 23	March 9	March 23
April 6	April 20	May 11

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Organic Chemistry Cumulative Exam Schedule, 1999.

Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., room B317 Chemistry Building.

February 4th, 1999

March 4th, 1999

April 1st, 1999

May 6th, 1999

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Analytical Cume Dates for 1999.

Room 2311 Chemistry Building.

February 6th, 1999

March 20th, 1999

April 3rd, 1999

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Inorganic Cume Dates for 1999.

9:00 a.m., Room 2373 Chemistry Building.

February 5th, 1999

March 6th, 1999

April 3rd, 1999

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ATTENTION GRADUATE STUDENTS

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IMPORTANT DATES:

MINOR AGREEMENT FORMS: The Graduate School requires that the minor program be outlined in an agreement which is approved by the Department no later than halfway through completion of the sequence of minor courses. The minor requirement is expected to be completed by the end of the third year of graduate school. Minor agreement forms are available in Room 7315.

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SEMINARS
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Tuesday, February 2^nd, 1999 - Special Materials Science Seminar, 11:00 a.m., Room 256 MS&E Building. Dr. Katerina Moloni, University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Carbon Nanotubes in Scanning Probe Microscopy"

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Thursday, February 4^th, 1999 - Chemical Engineering Seminar, 3:55 p.m., Room 1227 Engineering Hall. Richard F. Jordan, University of Iowa. "Cationic Metal Alkyl Complexes and Single-Site Olefin Polymerization Catalysis"

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*****CANCELLED*****Thursday, February 4^th, 1999 - Analytical Sciences Seminar, 12:05 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Jianming Liu, Graduate Student. "Forming Anisotropic Conjugated Organic Film on Silicon Surfaces"

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Monday, February 8^th, 1999 - Inorganic Division - Academic McElvain Seminar Speaker, 2:25 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Dr. Mike Sailor. Reception following in the 9^th floor lounge, all are welcome.

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Tuesday, February 9^th, 1999 - Chemical Engineering Seminar, 4:00 p.m., Room 1800 Engineering Hall. Professor Harold H. Kung, Northwestern University. "Catalytic Nox Reduction by Hydrocarbon in an Oxidizing Atmosphere"

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Thursday, February 11^th, 1999 - Analytical Sciences Seminar, 12:05 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Lucio Frydman, University of Illinois-Chicago. "Molecular Organization of Poly (p-phenylenetera phthalamide) in Sulfuric Acid: An NMR Study"

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Sunday, February 14^th, 1999 - Sixteenth Annual presentation of The Wonders of Physics, 1 and 4 p.m., 1330 Sterling Hall, 475 North Charter Street. Professor Clint Sprott. For free tickets call: 608-262-2927 or e-mail to: feeley@juno.physics.wisc.edu during the month of January.

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WILLARD LECTURE SERIES FEBRUARY 15 AND 16

Monday, February 15, 1999 - Willard Lecture Series, 4:00 pm., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Professor Robin M. Hochstrasser, Regional Laser and Biomedical Research, University of Pennsylvania. "Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy as a Means of Probing the Structures of Peptides and Proteins," and

Tuesday, February 16, 1999 11:00 a.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. "Vibrational Dynamics in Simple and Complex Systems Revisited with Femtosecond Infrared Pulses"

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Thursday, February 18^th, 1999 - Analytical Sciences Seminar, 12:05 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Jennifer Ropp, Graduate Student.

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Thursday, February 18^th, 1999 - Chemical Engineering Seminar, 3:55 p.m., Room 1227 Engineering Hall. Kathleen Vaeth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Saturday, February 20^th, 1999 - Sixteenth Annual presentation of The Wonders of Physics, 1 and 4 p.m., 1330 Sterling Hall, 475 North Charter Street. Professor Clint Sprott. For free tickets call: 608-262-2927 or e-mail to: feeley@juno.physics.wisc.edu during the month of January.

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Sunday, February 21^st, 1999 - Sixteenth Annual presentation of The Wonders of Physics, 1 and 4 p.m., 1330 Sterling Hall, 475 North Charter Street. Professor Clint Sprott. For free tickets call: 608-262-2927 or e-mail to: feeley@juno.physics.wisc.edu during the month of January.

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Thursday, February 25^th, 1999 - Analytical Sciences Seminar, 12:05 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Jennifer Herzfeld, Brandeis University. "High Resolution Solid State NMR Studies of the Proton-Motive Photocycle of Bacteriorhodopsin"

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Thursday, February 25^th, 1999 - Chemical Engineering Seminar, 3:55 p.m., Room 1227 Engineering Hall. John Aunins, University of Illinois-Urbana. "Viruses in Production: Can't Live With 'Em, Can't Live Without 'Em"

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Recent Publications

Penn RL; Banfield JF; Kerrick DM

TEM investigation of Lewiston, Idaho, fibrolite: Microstructure and grain boundary energetics

AMERICAN MINERALOGIST 1999, Vol 84, Iss 1-2, pp 152-159

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Hanson PE; Gellman SH

Mechanistic comparison of artificial-chaperone-assisted and unassisted refolding of urea-denatured carbonic anhydrase B

FOLDING & DESIGN 1998, Vol 3, Iss 6, pp 457-468

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Luckhaus D; Scott JL; Crim FF

An experimental and theoretical study of the vibrationally mediated photodissociation of hydroxylamine

JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS 1999, Vol 110, Iss 3, pp 1533-1541

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Casey CP; Paulsen EL; Beuttenmueller EW; Proft BR; Matter BA; Powell DR

Electronically dissymmetric DIPHOS derivatives give higher n : i regioselectivity in rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation than either of their symmetric counterparts

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 1999, Vol 121, Iss 1, pp 63-70

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Quirk DJ; Park C; Thompson JE; Raines RT

His - Asp catalytic dyad of ribonuclease A: Conformational stability of the wild-type, D121N, D121A, and H119A enzymes

BIOCHEMISTRY 1998, Vol 37, Iss 51, pp 17958-17964

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Reich HJ; Sikorski WH

Regioselectivity of addition of organolithium reagents to enones: The role of HMPA

JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1999, Vol 64, Iss 1, pp 14-15

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Chen CA; Sih CJ

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of conjugated linoleic acid

JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1998, Vol 63, Iss 26, pp 9620-9621

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Wendt MA; Farrar TC

An indirect method for the measurement of deuterium quadrupole coupling constants in liquids

MOLECULAR PHYSICS 1998, Vol 95, Iss 6, pp 1077-1081

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Scalf M; Westphall MS; Krause J; Kaufman SL; Smith LM

Controlling charge states of large ions

SCIENCE 1999, Vol 283, Iss 5399, pp 194-197

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Nakayama Y; Hirooka K; Oka K; West R

Hole transport in oriented polysilane films

SOLID STATE COMMUNICATIONS 1999, Vol 109, Iss 1, pp 45-49

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Copyright � 1998 Institute for Scientific Information

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National Exposure Research Laboratory Post-Doctoral Program

The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency is seeking candidates to fill as many as 24 federal, four-year post-doctoral research positions during the coming year. NERL conducts research and development related to the exposure of people and ecosystems to a wide range of pollutants in the air, water, and soil, and to other environmental changes resulting from human activities at a wide range of scales including landscape alterations. This research encompasses areas such as environmental monitoring and characterization (physical, chemical, biological, and microbiological); computer modeling of the transport, transformation, and fate of pollutants in multiple media and at multiple scales; human and ecological exposure analysis (including the development of exposure biomarkers and bioindicators); remote sensing applications; and landscape ecology. NERL also field-tests, evaluates, and demonstrates the applications of these findings to environmental problems of national importance to EPA's regulatory and regional offices, other federal agencies, and state, local, and tribal governments. Because of the broad range of NERL's research mission, we are seeking candidates from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, including environmental science, chemistry, physics, biology, molecular biology, bacteriology, protozoology, virology, ecology, geography, applied mathematics and statistics, human health sciences, meteorology, computer science, and environmental or chemical engineering. The preferred candidate will have earned a Ph.D. in one of these areas within the last five years or will have it awarded not later than August 31, 1999. The NERL post-doctoral positions will be located in a division at either Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Athens, Georgia; or Las Vegas, Nevada, depending on the particular disciplinary focus, and will be filled beginning June 1999. Successful applicants will begin work before October 1, 1999. United States citizens are preferred and will be given first consideration for all positions. The filing deadline for these post-doctoral positions is March 31, 1999. If you are interested, please mail a curriculum vitae, a letter of recommendation from your senior research advisor or other comparable official, and a letter indicating your research focus, desired position(s) and the geographic NERL location(s) you prefer (see NERL Internet site below for specific positions) to Ms. Dorothy Carr, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Human Resources Management Division (MD-29), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, Atom NERL Post-Doctoral Program. If you are claiming veterans' preference, please include your DD-214 with your application package. If you send your application via Federal Express, address it to: Ms. Dorothy Carr, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Human Resources Management Division (MD-29), 4201 Building, Suite 10S, 79 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, Attn: NERL Post-Doctoral Program. You may also submit your application via facsimile (fax) machine to (919) 541-2186; however, applications faxed from a U.S. government fax machine will not be accepted. Applications sent electronically via the Internet or mailed in U.S. government postage-paid envelopes will also not receive consideration. Your application materials must be received in the Human Resources Office or postmarked by March 31, 1999. Questions may be directed to Ms. Carr at (800) 433-9633. After all responses are reviewed, candidates will receive written notice of the status of their applications no later than June 15, 1999. For specific job information on the NERL post-doctoral program, you may access the National Exposure Research Laboratory s Internet site at http://www.epa.gov/nerl .

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The 5th Experimental Chaos Conference

The 5th Experimental Chaos Conference will be held at the Coronado Springs Resort, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida, on June 28 - July 1, 1999. The conference is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. Members of the worldwide scientific, medical and engineering communities interested in recent developments and techniques of experimental nonlinear dynamics are invited to attend the conference and to contribute to its technical sessions and workshops. Additional information will be mailed to you if you return the form provided (Forms can be obtained in room 1380 Chemistry) or provide the information at our web site: http://www.phvsics.gatech.edu/ecc5 .

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For Industrial Positions, see the Chemistry Placement Newsletter at:

http://www.chem.wisc.edu/placement/7news.html

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FACULTY POSITIONS/TEMPORARY FACULTY/ACADEMIC POSITIONS

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University Of Northern Colorado. Assistant professor of Chemistry, Position #20211. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise both in a chemistry subdiscipline (such as analytical or inorganic) and in chemical education research. Applicants in other fields of chemistry will also be considered. Candidates must have a doctoral degree in chemistry or in chemical/science education and must contribute significantly to teaching and directing research in chemistry or chemical education at undergraduate or graduate levels. Candidates must demonstrate accomplishments in or potential for high-quality teaching, excellence in research, and gravest activity. Candidates must have a record of scholarly publication commensurate with their prior excellence and activities. This position is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. The position is a full-time, tenure track position at the assistant professor level. The successful candidate will be an active member of the department's ACS-accredited baccalaureate program, as well as its masters of arts (in chemistry and chemical education) and doctoral (in chemical education) programs. Primary teaching responsibilities will be in the candidate's area of expertise and may include responsibilities in off-campus programs and/or partner school activities. In addition to classroom instruction, the position requires development of a research program for undergraduate/graduate students and potential for external funding for those efforts. Service to the department, college, and university is also expected. A description of the department and its faculty is available at: http://www.unco.edu/chemist/chem_hp.html . Starting Date: August 18,1999. Send complete application materials to: Dr. Marcus Meilahn, Chair, Search Committee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639. A complete application includes: complete resume, official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate studies, full contact information for four references, and statements of teaching philosophy and research interests. Evidence of accomplishments in grant writing, publications, teaching effectiveness, and professional activity and service is desirable. Review of application materials will begin February 26, 1999 and continue until the position is filled. For additional information contact Dr. Marcus Meilahn, (970) 351-1281, e-mail: mkmeila@bentley.unco.edu .

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The Department Of Chemistry, University Of Wyoming, invites applications from Ph.D. chemists for an extended term track lecture position in analytical chemistry. Excellence in teaching freshman chemistry and advanced courses in analytical chemistry will be required, as well as excellence in undergraduate advising. Applicants should submit a statement of teaching philosophy (3 pages maximum) and a C.V., and arrange for three letters of recommendation, which directly address the candidate's teaching ability, to be sent to: Dr. Robert J. Hurtubise, Department of Chemistry, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82701-3838. All applications must be postmarked by March 1, 1999 and include at least two of the three required letters of recommendation.

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University Of Northern Colorado. Title: Lecturer in Chemistry, Position # 21896. Preference will be given to candidates whose area of expertise complements that in the department and who have a supporting area of expertise such as materials chemistry, polymer chemistry, environmental chemistry, or another allied area. All applicants must have a doctoral degree in chemistry and demonstrate accomplishments in or potential for high-quality independent scholarship and teaching. This full-time, nontenure-track Lecturer position is located in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. The nine month position is potentially renewable for up to four years. The successful candidate will be an active member of the department's undergraduate and graduate programs with a teaching load of 12 hours. The successful candidate must be committed to high quality instruction and is expected to establish a modest graduate/undergraduate research program, seek external funding, and publish in scholarly journals at a level commensurate with a 12-hour teaching load. A description of the department and its faculty is available at: http://www.unco.edu/chemist/chem_hp.html . Starting Date: August 18,1999. Send complete application materials to: Dr. Clark Fields, Chair, Search Committee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639. A complete application includes: complete resume, official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate studies, full contact information for four references, and statements of teaching philosophy and research interests. Evidence of accomplishments in grant writing, publications, teaching effectiveness, and professional activity and service is desirable. Review of application materials will begin February 26, 1999 and continue until the position is filled. For additional intonation contact Dr. Clark Fields, (970) 351-1282, cfields@bentley.unco.edu .

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AND/OR JOBS
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Post-doctoral position - University of Lille (France): The Homogeneous Catalysis Group at the University of Lille in collaboration with Elf-Atochem Co. has a post-doctoral position available starting immediately (February-April 99). The post is available for one year in the first instance, with the possibility of extension. Project goal is development of organometallic catalysts for the polymerization of polar olefins. The candidate must have an earned doctorate (Ph. D. or equivalent) in chemistry. Strong background in organometallic chemistry is required. Additional experience in either homogeneous catalysis or polymer chemistry is appreciated. Please send your resume, letter of recommendation to: Andre Mortreux, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Lille, BP 108, 59652 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France; e-mail: mortreux@ensc-lille.fr fax: +(33) 320 436 585 phone: +(33) 320 436 586.

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C. Bradley Moore, of the Department of Chemistry at University of California Berkeley has a Postdoctoral Fellowship available immediately; applications for starting dates at any time in 1999 or early 2000 are encouraged. The goal of the proposed work is to understand the dynamics of chemical bond breaking for the ground electronic states of molecules and thus to develop quantitatively predictive models for both thermal and state-selected unimolecular reactions. A powerful combination of spectroscopic and dynamical measurements will be made for small free radicals and for formyl fluoride. Initial and final states may be fully resolved experimentally. Nearly all of the observables consistent with the laws of quantum mechanics may be measured and compared in detail with quantitative, state-of-the-art dynamical models. These results will then help set the limits of validity for transition state theories and reveal the possibilities for state-selective chemistry. Nanosecond and picosecond tunable lasers operating in the UV through the IR will be used to prepare and spectroscopically characterize initial states and to detect product states of molecules in cooled pulsed molecular beams. Apply to: C. Bradley Moore, Department of Chemistry, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-1460, e-mail responses preferred: cbmoore@socrates.berkeley.edu , 510-642-3453 and fax at 510-643-5326.

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Two postdoctoral positions are available in the laboratories of Prof. Daniel Neumark of the Department of Chemistry, University of California-Berkeley. In one project, anion photoelectron spectroscopy will be used to study the properties of weakly and covalently bound cluster anions. We are particularly interested in mapping out the vibrational and electronic spectroscopy of elemental and mixed semiconductor clusters in the 50-200 atom size range, as this appears to be the transitional regime between small molecules and nanocrystalline clusters. This project is also likely to include studies of transition states in bimolecular reactions via anion photoelectron spectroscopy. The second project centers on the photodissociation and reactive scattering of hydrocarbon radicals. We have recently developed a source for the propargyl radical, and plan to use this to investigate elementary chemical reactions that play an important role in hydrocarbon combustion. This work will be carried out on a crossed molecular beam instrument in my laboratory and at the Chemical Dynamics Beamline at the Advanced Light Source. Apply to: Prof. Daniel M. Neumark, Department of Chemistry, University of California-Berkeley, CA 94705, Ph: (510) 642-3502, Fax: (510) 642-6262, http://bromine.cchem.berkeley.edu .

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Several Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunities are available on the new Chemical Dynamics Beamline at the Advanced Light Source to study reaction dynamics and photochemistry of radicals. Interested candidates should examine the Beamline Web site http://www.lbl.gov/chemicaldynamics to get a sense of the range of experimental capabilities of the facility. Opportunities include studies on a new coincidence-imaging based endstation that will operate in conjunction with a high-throughput 3-m monochromator providing unique experimental capability for studies of spectrscopy and dynamics of radicals and clusters. Extensive laser resources are also available. Successful candidates will be expected to develop new radical molecular beam sources; perform studies of radical photochemistry and crossed-beam reaction dynamics; develop innovative applications of synchrotron radiation to chemical dynamics such as PEPICOimaging; perform collaborative studies with outside users; publish results in recognized journals and present results at national and international meetings. These positions require a PhD in Chemical Physics or a related discipline, experience in molecular beam photochemistry or reaction dynamics studies and a record of publication in chemical dynamics or a closely related field. Experience with synchrotron radiation is useful but not necessary. Interested applicants should send a CV and arrange for two letters of recommendation (email preferred) to: Dr. Arthur G. Suits, Chemical Dynamics Group, MS 6-2100, E. O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA 94720 USA, Tel +1 510-486-4754, Fax +1 510-486-5664, Internet: agsuits@lbl.gov , web: http://www.lbl.gov/~agsuits .

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DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE IN ROOM 1380.

NEXT NEWSLETTER IS ON FEBRUARY 8^th, 1999.