The Experimental Physical Chemistry Program supports the research of Professor Philip Stephens and his students at the University of Southern California. Stephens will further develop experimental and theoretical methods for the measurement and prediction of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra. Quantum-mechanical calculations for large molecules will be extended to include the effects of solvents and the anharmonicities of vibrations. The research also will develop methods for the calculation/prediction of VCD spectra and the conformations and absolute configurations of large molecules, including natural products, peptides, peptide mimetics, and organometallic complexes. This work promises to substantially increase the use of VCD spectroscopy by inorganic, organic and biological chemists, both in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry.
