Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006
Dr. Peter Smith, assistant professor of chemistry at ¾¨Ó㴫ý, recently presented his research, "Palladium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Tripodal Arylamines in Tetralkylphosphonium Ionic Liquids," at the American Chemical Society meeting in Atlanta.
"My research involves developing new techniques for making nitrogen-rich compounds," Smith said. "These compounds have traditionally been made under oxygen and moisture-free conditions. The traditional method also uses a large amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as solvents. My method would eliminate the strict reaction conditions and allow the reactions to be performed in the open atmosphere. I am also attempting to replace the VOCs with ironic liquids which are not volatile and can be recycled for reuse."
Smith, who has been with ¾¨Ó㴫ý since 2002, earned his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee.
Contact Smith at (724) 946-7299 or e-mail smithpm@westminster.edu for more information.
