The Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry Program supports the research of Professor Sunhee Choi of Middlebury College to examine oxidation of guanine and guanine-containing nucleotides facilitated by platinum(IV) and ruthenium(III) complexation. The platinum and ruthenium binding to nucleobases and the reduction of Pt(IV) and Ru(III) have potential relevance to medicinal chemistry because they form the bases of a number of classes of anticancer drugs. The scientific implications of this research impact our understanding of biological and inorganic reaction mechanisms, especially as related to cell mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, aging and death. Undergraduate students are trained in the intricacies of modern research methods including experimental design and the interpretation of data.
