Professor Alex Greer of The City University of New York, Brooklyn College

Professor Alex Greer of The City University of New York, Brooklyn College will present

Mechanistic Studies in Organic Photochemistry: Detection of Reactive Oxygen Intermediates by Phase Separation

on November 21, 2017 at 12:10 PM in Seeley G. Mudd Building, Room 353.

Abstract:

This lecture describes studies of reactive oxygen intermediates, such as the reactive intermediates singlet oxygen and alkoxy radicals. Examples are chosen from our work to demonstrate how biphasic and triphasic systems, such as fluorinated particles and superhydrophobic sensitizers have been used to better understand peroxidations and interfacial phenomena. One example is chosen from our work with alkene surfactants and airborne singlet oxygen at the air-water interface, which led to regioselective formation of surfactant hydroperoxides. Prenylsurfactants with increasing numbers of carbon atoms in the hydrophobic chain have provided insight to the origin of the regioselectivity. The above reactions give insight into oxidation mechanisms, are of utility in synthesis, and are biologically relevant models of reactive oxygen intermediates at membrane and marine aerosol surfaces.