Professor William S. Jenks, of the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University, is supported by the Organic Dynamics Program and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate for his studies of the photochemistry and photophysics of sulfoxides and related species. Through a combination of experimental and calculational studies, Professor Jenks targets the characterization of the photochemically active excited states of alkyl and aryl sulfoxides and their dynamics, the determination of the mechanisms by which sulfoxides quench traditional triplet sensitizers in cases where energy transfer is unlikely due to energetic considerations, and the determination of mechanisms by which other molecules can quench sulfoxide excited states, with particular emphasis on development of electron transfer reactions. Through the study of a variety of photochemical reactions of sulfoxides, including stereomutation, alpha cleavage, and deoxygenation, a predictive paradigm will be constructed to assist in the analysis of photochemical properties of sulfoxides and the development and exploitation of their photochemical reaction chemistry. With the support of the Organic Dynamics Program and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, Professor William S. Jenks, of the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University, studies the interactions of light with a class of organic molecules known as sulfoxides, containing a bond between oxygen and sulfur. Such compounds occupy an important niche in organic chemistry due to their unique combination of chemical and physical properties. Whereas the thermal reactions of sulfoxides have been well-studied and have been exploited for the preparation of a variety of significant products, the light-initiated reactions of sulfoxides are still in the discovery and development stages. By applying a variety of experimental and calculational techniques, Professor Jenks explores the ways in which sulfoxides interact with light, the structures and reactions of the species generated by such interactions, and the products which may be obtained as a result of these reactions. These studies contribute to our fundamental understanding of photochemical reactions and may lead to the development of useful new strategies for the synthesis of important organic molecules.
