Posted on Thursday, May 18, 2006
Dr. Peter Smith, assistant professor of chemistry at Westminster College, 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 Westminster 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.
