Department of Chemistry & Physics

Jump down to recent research presentations and publications.

Chair

Michael P. Masingale, Associate Professor of Chemistry (1984) Ph.D. (Chemistry) Syracuse University B.S. (Chemistry) Morehouse College SC304; (315)445-4108; masingal@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Inorganic Chemistry Research: The synthesis and characterization of porphyrin ligand systems that might serve as catalysts for the reduction of coordinated nitrogen (N2) to N2H4 (hydrazine) or NH3 (ammonia).

 

Professors

 

Carmen J. Giunta, Professor of Chemistry (1990) Ph.D. (Chemical Physics) & A.M. (Physics) Harvard University B.S. (Chemistry) University of Scranton SC 218; (315) 445-4128; giunta@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Physical chemistry. Research: history of chemistry; associate editor and editor-designate of Bulletin for the History of Chemistry. Visit his web page.

 

Associate Professors

 

	Theresa L. Beaty, Associate Professor of Chemistry (1996) Ph.D. (Biochemistry) Johns Hopkins University B.S. (Chemistry and Biology) Aquinas College SC225; (315)445-4109; beatytl@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Biochemistry. Visit her web page. Research: The effects of environmental agents, hormones and growth factors on gene expression, especially with respect to cell growth and differentiation. The model system is the gonads of a hermaphroditic fish. Genetic diversity within an insect population.
	David A. Craig, Associate Professor of Physics (2005), on sabbatical leave 2011-12 Ph.D. (Physics) University of California, Santa Barbara B.A. (Physics) Princeton University SC110; (315)445-4663; craigda@lemoyne.edu Specialty: General relativity; quantum mechanics; and quantum gravity/quantum cosmology, the marriage of the two. Visit his web page.
	Stamatios Kyrkos, Associate Professor of Physics (2005; Associate rank begins Fall 2011) Ph.D. & M.S. (Physics) Boston College B.S. (Physics) University of Athens, Greece SC111; (315)445-4318; kyrkoss@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Linear and nonlinear response functions, compressibilities, screening, strongly coupled Coulomb systems, charged particle bilayers. Visit his web page.
	Joseph J. Mullins, Associate Professor of Chemistry (1999) Ph.D. & M.S. (Chemistry) University of Rochester B.S. (Chemistry) Rochester Institute of Technology SC306; (315)445-4729; mullinjj@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Organic chemistry, particularly synthesis Research: My area of interest is organic synthesis. Two areas of the field will be investigated: the synthesis of biologically active compounds and the development of synthetic methodologies. Target molecules include derivatives of the steroid dehydroepiandrosterone, and polyphenolic compounds related to the natural antioxidant resveratrol. Such compounds have potential disease-preventative and therapeutic properties. Research experience will include experimental design, synthetic methods, and modern methods of purification and structural characterization.

 

Assistant Professors

 

Anna O'Brien, Assistant Professor of Chemistry (2007) Ph.D. (Chemistry) Syracuse University M.S. (Chemical and Environmental Engineering) & B.S. (Chemistry) University of Toledo SC312; (315)445-4674; obrienay@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Environmental and analytical chemistry. Research projects have an environmental focus, incorporating inorganic synthesis and analytical techniques.

 

Adjunct Faculty and Staff

 

	Jacqueline Bisignano, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry SC 318; (315) 445-5456; bisignjm@lemoyne.edu
	Mary Boyden, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-5456; boydenmn@lemoyne.edu
	David Childress, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-4376; chil5528@stu.lemoyne.edu
	Thomas Donegan, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-5456; donegatf@lemoyne.edu
	Daniel Emrich, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-4359; emrichde@lemoyne.edu
	Pushkar Kaul, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-5456; kaulpn@lemoyne.edu
	Barbara Leo, Environmental Health and Safety Officer and Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry M.S. Rochester Institute of Technology B.S. SUNY Buffalo;  SC125; (315)445-4536; cariotbl@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Analytical and instrumental chemistry
	Charles Montgomery, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-5456; montgoch@lemoyne.edu
	James Morgan, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry (315) 445-5456; morgajae@lemoyne.edu
	Terence Morrill, Adjunct Instructor of Chemistry SC 312; (315) 445-5456; morriltc@lemoyne.edu
	Rachael Henriques Porter M.S. Indiana University B.A. Swarthmore College SC312; (315)445-4674; porterrh@lemoyne.edu Specialty: Organic chemistry
	Samuel Sampere, Adjunct Instructor of Physics M.S. SUNY Binghamton B.S. Le Moyne College SC 136; (315) 445-6039; sampersm@lemoyne.edu
	John Schiller, Adjunct Instructor of Physics SC 136; (315) 445-6039; schilljj@lemoyne.edu

 

 

Emeritus Faculty

David Bridges, Professor Emeritus (1977) of Physics
Ph.D. & M.A. University of Oregon; BA, Reed College

George J. Durr, Professor Emeritus (1964) of Chemistry
Ph.D. Georgetown University; M.S. & B.S. University of Detroit
durr@lemoyne.edu
Specialty: Organic chemistry 

Charles McCain, Senior Research Scientist, Professor Emeritus of Physics (1952)
M.S. University of Detroit; B.A. LaSalle College
Specialty: Instrumentation 

Research presentations and publications

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• Dr. Anna O'Brien contributed to an article in Coordination Chemistry Reviews: Ana Torvisco, Anna Y. O'Brien, and Karin Ruhlandt-Senge, "Advances in alkaline earth-nitrogen chemistry," 255(11-12), 1268-1292 (June 2011).
• Two Le Moyne chemists made presentations at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in March 2011 in Anaheim, CA.
  
  • Dr. Joseph Mullins presented research conducted with undergraduates Phung Tran and Divina Oweis, "Synthesis of derivatives of Chiricanine A" in the Poster Session of the Division of Organic Chemistry.
  • Dr. Carmen Giunta's topic was "Avogadro, his hypothesis, and his number." His talk was in a session he organized on named units and constants for the Division of the History of Chemistry.
• Dr. Giunta was appointed editor of the Bulletin for the History of Chemistry effective January 2011.
• Dr. David Craig published an article in the prestigious Physical Review family of journals: David A. Craig and Parampreet Singh, "Consistent Probabilities in Wheeler-DeWitt Quantum Cosmology" Phys. Rev. D 82, 123526-123546 (2010).
• Dr. Masingale published an article in Bioresources: Michael P. Masingale, Ericka F. Alves, Theresah N. Korbieh, Samar K. Bose, and Raymond C. Francis, "An Oxidant to Replace Nitrobenzene in Lignin Analysis," 4(3), 1139-1146 (2009).
• Two Le Moyne chemists made presentations at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in August 2010 in Boston.
  
  • Dr. Michael Masingale spoke on "Spiral curricular approaches in General Chemistry: Increasing the conceptualization and the retention of knowledge for future applications" in the General Papers session of the Division of Chemical Education.
  • Dr. Giunta's topic was "Resonance structures: What they are and what they aren't." His talk was in a session he organized on chemical myths and misconceptions for the same Division.
• Dr. O'Brien contributed to a featured article in the Journal of Organic Chemistry: Danette L. Flint, Rachel L. Fowler, Timothy D. LeSaulnier, Andrew C. Long, Anna Y. O'Brien, and G. Richard Geier III, "Investigation of Complementary Reactions of a Dipyrromethane with a Dipyrromethanemonocarbinol Leading to a 5-Isocorrole," 2010, 75(3), 553-563.
• Dr. Giunta edited a book in the American Chemical Society's Symposium series titled Atoms in Chemistry: From Dalton's Predecessors to Complex Atoms and Beyond. He also wrote a chapter in the book titled "Atoms are Divisible: the Pieces Have Pieces."
• Dr. Giunta was one of the authors of solutions manuals to accompany a new edition of Peter Atkins' and Julio De Paula's Physical Chemistry. Charles Trapp, Marshall Cady, and Carmen Giunta, Instructor's and Student's Solutions Manual to Accompany Physical Chemistry, 9th edition. The textbook and solutions manuals are distributed by WH Freeman in North America and Oxford University Press elsewhere.
• Chemists at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, March 2010: Three students and three members of the faculty will be making presentations. The names of the researchers and titles of their presentations are given below.
  
  
  
  • Russell Goodman (Le Moyne junior biochemistry major), Zhenjiang Xu, David H Mathews (University of Rochester): Effect of coaxial stacking of helices on RNA secondary structure prediction (BIOL 103)
  • Nicholas Stam (Le Moyne junior biochemistry major), Arthur Stipanovic, David Kiemle (SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry): Self-association, conformational ordering and gelation of pustulan, (1→6)-β-D-glucan (CELL 45)
  • Natasa Taseski (Le Moyne College senior chemistry major): Not safe yet: History of anti-aging cosmetics and development of FDA regulations on cosmetics (HIST 18)
  • Theresa Beaty (Le Moyne biochemist): Modified POGIL for an upper-level biochemistry course (CHED 1552)
  • Michael Masingale (Le Moyne inorganic chemist), Raymond Francis, Theresah Korbieh (SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry): Microwave assisted synthesis of mesoporous metal organic framework molecules as catalysis for the oxidation of hardwood lignin (INOR 825)
  • Joseph Mullins (Le Moyne organic chemist), Yekaterina Lyubarskaya (Le Moyne class of 2009): Synthesis of ferrocenyl analogs of hydroxyl-containing stilbenoid natural products (ORGN 297)
• Chemists at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, DC, in August 2009:
  
  
  
  • Dr. O'Brien presented work research conducted at Le Moyne in collaboration with Le Moyne undergraduates Cailin Daly and Adam Colburn and high school student Joseph Lee, "Silylation of diamines for subsequent reaction with carbon dioxide" in the Division of Inorganic Chemistry.
  • Work Dr. O'Brien carried out as a post-doctoral fellow at Colgate was presented in the Division of Organic Chemistry: G. Richard Geier III, Andrew C. Long, Rachel L. Fowler, Danette L. Flint, and Anna Y. O'Brien, "Investigation of complementary reactions of a dipyrromethanemonocarbinol with a dipyrromethane leading to a 5-isocorrole".
  • Dr. Giunta made a presentation, "Méthode de nomenclature chimique, revisited," in the Division of the History of Chemistry.
• Chemists at the 237th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City, in March 2009:
  
  
  
  • Le Moyne undergraduate Nicholas Stam made a presentation in the Division of Cellulose and Renewable Materials of work carried out at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: Nicholas J. Stam and Arthur J. Stipanovic, Biodegradable plastics and blends from renewable feedstocks
  • Dr. Giunta made a presentation, "Flights of fancy: Study tours off the beaten path," in the Division of the History of Chemistry.