Nicholas J. Turro
766 Chandler Hall, Mail Code: 3119
Phone: +1 212-854-2175
Fax: +1 212-932-1289
Email:
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Education:
BA 1960 summa cum laude, Wesleyan University
PhD 1963 California Institute of Technology
NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, 1963-64, Harvard University
Research interests:
In my research group we view the photon as a reagent for initiating photoreactions and as a product of the deactivation of electronically excited molecules. Photons as reagents possess some outstanding properties, e.g., they may be used to selectively excite specific groups of atoms in a single molecule or specific molecules in a mixture, because the absorption of light depends on specific electron energy gaps which are unique to groups of atoms in a molecule or to specific molecules. This selectivity of photon absorption may be controlled and varied at will by use of lasers or a monochrometer. The concentration of photons may be varied at will by controlling the light intensity. Photons can even be made optically active by the use of polarizers! Finally, by use of pulsed lasers, high concentrations of photons can be injected into a system to trigger reactions in times as short as a trillionth of a second (a picosecond).
We employ photons to study the structure and dynamics of a range of reactive
intermediates such as carbenes, radical pairs, singlet oxygen, and biradicals.
These species are produced by photochemical excitation and their chemistry is
investigated by a range of time resolved techniques. These techniques are
employed to determine the chemistry of these reactive intermediates when
they are confined to the restricted reaction spaces of micelles (aggregates
formed from the association of detergent molecules in aqueous solution),
zeolites (crystalline porous solids), starburst dendrimers (giant molecules having
micellarlike properties) and biological molecules such as DNA.
Selected Publications:
E. Karatekin, M. Landis, G. Lem, B. O'Shaughnessy, and N.J. Turro,
"Photocopying Living Chains: 1. Steady State," Macromolecules, 34, 8187-8201 (2001).
N.J. Turro, G. Lem, and I.S. Zavarine, "A Living Free Radical Exchange
Reaction for the Preparation of Photoactive End-Labeled Monodisperse Polymers,"
, Macromolecules, 33, 9782-9785 (2000).
K.M.A. Rahman, C.J. Durning, N.J. Turro, and D.A. Tomalia,
"Adsorption of Poly(amidoamine) Dendrimers on Gold,"
Langmuir, 16, 10154-10160 (2000).
M.F. Ottaviani, F. Furini, A. Casini, N.J. Turro, S. Jockusch, D.A. Tomalia, and L. Messori,
"Formation of Supramolecular Structures between DNA and Starburst
Dendrimers Studied by EPR, CD, UV, and Melting Profiles, "
Macromolecules, 33, 7842-7851 (2000).
N.J. Turro, "From Boiling Stones to Smart Crystals: Supramolecular and
Magnetic Isotope Control of Radical-Radical Reactions in Zeolites,"
Acc. Chem. Res., 33, 637-646 (2000).