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ROSLYN THEISEN
Visiting Assistant Professor
Inorganic Chemistry
Education
B.S., Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2000.
Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Washington, 2005.
Research Interests
Transition metal complexes of flavothiones have been recognized for their
photochemical properties and their ability to produce reactive oxygen species.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) including oxygen ions, free radicals; and
peroxides are very small molecules that are highly reactive due to the presence
of unpaired valence shell electrons. When ROS levels increase dramatically,
oxidative stress can occur resulting in significant damage to cell structures or
eventual cell death. The goals of my research are to design new transition metal
complexes containing flavothiones, to study their photochemical properties and
to monitor the complexes for production of reactive oxygen species. One useful
application of these light-activated complexes is for environmentally safe
pesticides. Design of photodegradable pesticides is an emerging topic in the
broader field of environmental bioinorganic chemistry.
Projects in my group include synthesis and characterization of organic ligands
and related metal complexes and then subsequent photochemical experiments with
the metal complexes. Students working in my laboratory gain experience in a
number of synthetic techniques such as Schlenk and inert atmosphere techniques
for the manipulation of air-sensitive compounds, spectroscopic techniques like
1H NMR, 13C NMR, UV/Vis and IR spectroscopies and column chromatography to
characterize compounds.
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