Synthesis of biomimetic polymers with Dr. Joel Gohdes
Students working with Dr. Ghodes are trying to develop metal containing polymers that mimic the reactivity of naturally occuring proteins and enzymes. Our initial target, hemocyanin, is a copper containing protein responsible for oxygen transport in mollusks. Our approach entails synthesizing copper containing molecules that are then embedded in polymers. We follow the reactivity by monitoring the UV-vis spectrum as we expose these materials to different conditions.
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This is the x-ray structure of a copper dimer synthesized in our lab. The copper atoms |
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This is a series of UV-vis spectra showing the decomposition of a copper dioxygen species. The intermediate lasts for about a minute, a thousand times longer than normal for this type of compound. are bridged by hydroxide ions. |
Recent Publications
Mukhopadhyay, S.; Johansson, I.M., Armstrong, W.H., Gohdes, J.W. "Intermediate Geometry for a Copper(II) Complex With a Chelating, Bis-imidazole Ligand and Its Incorporation into a Metal Chelating Polymer" manuscript in preparation for submission to Inorganic Chemistry.
Disalvo, D.; Dellinger, D.B.; and Gohdes, J.W. "Catalytic Epoxidations of Styrene Using a Manganese Functionalized Polymer" Reactive and Functional Polymers, 53(2-3), 2002, 103-112.
Joel W. Gohdes, Brandy L. Duran, Noline C. Clark, Thomas W. Robison, Barbara F. Smith, and Nancy N. Sauer., “Synthesis and Metal Binding properties of Novel Sulfur-Containing Water Soluble Polymers” Separation Science and Technology, 36(12), 2001, 2647-2658.