Education
PHD, University of Delaware
BS, Ursinus College
About Me
I am fortunate in that I knew I wanted to be a chemist from an early age. I found the idea of mixing things together to produce something new fascinating. After I received my first real chemistry set at 13 years old, I was hooked. Even to this day, I still experience the same fascination when I study a chemical process. The desire to pass on this feeling to the next generation of scientists is what led me to 体育买球官网 University. Here at SU, I am able to interact with young scientists in both the classroom and through collaborative undergraduate research. The small class sizes at SU allow a more personal connection with my students and provide me ample opportunity for stimulating conversations on interesting scientific topics.Through my research, I guide aspiring scientists in the transition from student to researcher, watching them develop the mental and physical skills necessary for a future career in a variety of fields. I think that’s the greatest thing about a degree in chemistry from a liberal arts college. The central curriculum allows a student to think about a problem from a variety of different perspectives. This produces better scientists and graduates who are likely to succeed in careers paths not directly related to their major. I attended a liberal arts college as an undergraduate and I experience the benefits of that education every day.When I am not in the classroom or the lab, I enjoy spending time outdoors in the beautiful landscapes surrounding campus.
Research
The synthesis, structure and coordination chemistry of chelating ligands bearing sulfur-containing pendant groups. We are currently interested in synthesizing new ligands with sulfur-containing pendant groups and investigating the structures that can be formed upon coordination to transition metals. Schiff bases have long provided a versatile scaffold for the generation of transition-metal coordination complexes. The incorporation of a sulfur-containing group results in a NOS coordination environment allowing flexibility in both the choice of donor atoms and possible coordination modes. Novel ligands derived from salicylaldehyde and a mercaptoimidazole pendant group are of current interest to our group. X-ray diffraction data, collected on site, have allowed our group to investigate the coordination chemistry of these new ligands with a variety of transition metals. The hope is that these ligands can be used as scaffolds for interesting 2D and 3D structures in the solid-state.
Funding and Grant Awards
Summer 2025 – 体育买球官网 University Research Partners (Undergraduate Research) “Synthesis and Characterization of Transition Metal Complexes Bearing Schiff Bases with Sulfur-Containing Pendant Groups.” Award: $6,300
2023-2026 NSF MRI Track 1. Acquisition of a Single-Crystal X-ray Diffractometer to Support Primarily Undergraduate Research in the Greater 体育买球官网 Valley. PI, Awarded 09/01/23: $200,170. Award #2320461
Spring 2024 – College Equipment Grant Program, Pittsburgh Spectroscopic Society, Funds to purchase Stereo Zoom Microscope for small-molecule X-ray lab. Awarded $3,500
Summer 2022 – 体育买球官网 University Research Partners (Undergraduate Research) “Computational studies of substituted anthraquinones and synthesis, characterization and metalation of a series of Schiff bases bearing pendant sulfur groups” Award: $3,700
Published Works
Recent Publications (SU Undergraduate Authors in Bold):
McDonald, C.; Bendorf, H; Dougherty, W.; Upcraft, C.; Dodson, Z.; Martinez, J.; McGowan, D.; Urbina, J.; Taylor, L. “Synthesis of trans-2,5 Disubstituted 1-Benzazepines via Nucleophilic Ring Opening of Selectively Quaternized N,N-Acetals” J. Org. Chem. 2026 Submitted
Roe, E. W.; Johnson, T. A.; Stanell, S.; Crawford, M. J.; Lyle, C. J.; McMillen, C. D.; Dougherty, W. G.; Henry, G. E. “Chromene-based Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) Schiff base complexes: Synthesis, X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic analyses and evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibition by molecular docking” Inorg. Chim. Acta 2026, 589, 122891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2025.122891
O’Neill, R. D.; Dougherty, W. G.; Yap, G. P. A.; Arulsamy, N.; Riordan, C. G.; Mock, M. T. “Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity of Thioether-Ligated Organoiron(II) Complexes” Organometallics 2024, 43, 3179-3191. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.organomet.4c00197
Isaacs, D.; Cox, C.; Bezpalko, M. A.; Kassel, W. S.; Dougherty, W. G. “Synthesis, Structure and Electrochemcal Properties of Tris(3-phenylpyrazolyl)borato Zinc(II) Adducts with o-Semiquinonate Ligands.” Inorg. Chim. Acta. 561, 2024, 121841-121847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2023.121841
Galan, B. R.; Bigelow, J. O.; Dougherty, W. G.; Kassel, W. S.; Hulley, E. B.; Helm, M. L.; DuBois, M. R. Appel, A. M.; Linehan, J. C. “Operando Mechanistic Studies of CO2 Hydrogenation by Ruthenium Complexes Using High-Pressure NMR Spectroscopy”ACS Catal.2023, 13, 15611−15619. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.3c03908
Ressler, A. J.; Brandt, O. N.; Weaver, A.; Poor, J. E. ; Ream, A.; Summers, N. A.; McMillen, C. D.; Seeram, N. P.; Dougherty, W. G.; Henry, G. E. “Chromene-based Schiff Base Ligand: DNA Interaction Studies and Characterization of Tetranuclear Zinc, Nickel and Iron Complexes” Inorg. Chim. Acta. 2023, 547, 121363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2022.121363
Cox, C.; Isaacs, D.; Bezpalko, M. A.; Kassel, W. S.; Kieber-Emmons, M. T.; Dougherty, W. G. “Synthesis and Characterization of a Hydro Tris(3-phenylpyrazolyl)borato Nickel(II) Semiquinonate Adduct.” Polyhedron. 2019, 162, 165.
