Howard Zimmerman

Professor, Born 1926

B.S. 1950, Yale University

Ph.D. 1953, Yale University

Room: 8121Chemistry
Phone: (608) 262-1502
Email: zimmerman@chem.wisc.edu
Position: Professor

Research Description

The research of my students and myself ranges from the synthesis of unusual organic molecules at one extreme to theoretical organic chemistry at the other. In between are reaction mechanisms, the study of unusual organic species, organic photochemistry, and the application of quantum mechanics and MO theory to organic chemistry. One rewarding research topic for us these days is solid-state photochemistry, where reactivity is determined by the shape of molecular cavities in which a molecule reacts. Some students become an expert in all areas while some prefer to concentrate at one end of the spectrum. An advantage of having a stimulating research group interested in a wide range of scientific topics is keeping all members of the group in contact with a variety of hot areas of chemistry.

One particularly exciting area we enjoy is mechanistic and exploratory organic photochemistry. We seem to encounter an endless number of intriguing and new photochemical rearrangements. Many are synthetically useful, many are superb challenges for detailed molecular study.

Some of the tools we are presently using are single photon counting, computation of x-ray structures, energy surfaces for reaction mechanisms, and more.

Our photochemical calculations generally provide an understanding of the observed reactivity. The reactions are often simply predicted by an MO expert and an organic electron pusher. Our approach is to design molecules chosen to test some mechanistic hypothesis. Our tools and techniques are both organic and physical.

The emphasis of my research students has been towards an academic career. I think what I particularly like about the bright and energetic students working with me is that they keep me concentrating on the next challenging problem. We have a lot of give and take in our group with continual debate about chemistry. I tend to spend a lot of time working with my students.

I am pleased that 86 of my former students have gone into academic life and most have earned tenure. Additionally some very fine students have gone into good industrial jobs. I can always send out a complete bibliography, but I am selecting the following papers as typifying my research interests.

Last Updated: September 26, 2003.

Publications

• "Triplet Photochemistry of Vinyl Cyclopropenes; Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry", Zimmerman, H. E., J Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 1247-1251.

  
  

• The Aza-Type B Photochemical Rearrangement; the Role of a Second Carbonyl in Heterocyclic Photochemistry. Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry," Zimmerman, H. E.; Mitkin, O. D., J. Org. Chem., 2007, 72, 6091-6096.

• "Organic Photochemical Rearrangements of Triplets and Zwitterions; Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry", Zimmerman, H. E.; Suryanarayan, Eur. J. Org. Chem 2007 4091-4102.

• "Control of Stereoselective Protonation of Enols", Zimmerman, H. E.; Cheng, J., J. Org. Chem., 2006, 71, 873-882.

• "The Stereochemistry of Allenic Enol Tautomerism; Independent Generation and Reactivity" Zimmerman, H. E.; Pushechnikov, A., Eur J. Org. Chem., 2006, 15 3491-3497.

• "Conical Intersection Control of Heterocyclic Photochemical Bond Scission", Zimmerman, H. E.; Mitkin, O., J. Am. Chem.Soc.., 2006, 7, 128(39), 12743-12749.

• "Five Decades of Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry", Zimmerman, H. E., Pure and Appl. Chem., 2006, 2193-2203. Porter Award Address.

• "Some Theoretical Applications to Organic Photochemistry; Excited State and Open Shell Examples", Howard E. Zimmerman, Chapter VIII in "Computational Photochemistry", Zimmerman, H. E., Ed. A. Kutateladze, pp 477-510, Marcel-Dekker, New York, 2005.

• "Development of Theory with Computation", Howard E. Zimmerman, in "Computational Photochemistry", Part of a Series entitled "Theoretical Computational Chemistry", Chap 8, Pgs 255-278, Ed. M. Olivucci, , Elsevier, London, 2005.

• "Control of Proton Transfer - Intramolecular vs Intermolecular" Zimmerman, H. E.; Cheng, J., Organic Letters, 2005, 7, 2595-2597.

Awards

• Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, 2006

• IUPAC Porter Medal, 2006
• American Chemical Society Cope Scholar Award, 1990
• Senior Humboldt Fellowship Award, 1988
• Chemical Pioneer Award of the American Institute of Chemists, 1986
• One of the 1000 Most Cited Authors in all fields of science, in which 49 organic chemists were included, 1981
• Election to the National Academy of Sciences, 1980
• Election to National Academy of Sciences, 1980
• Halpern Award for Photochemistry awarded by the New York Academy of Sciences, 1980
• One of the 250 Most Cited Primary Authors in all fields of science, in which 31 organic chemists were included, 1977