Dan Williams
Professor
Research Interests
My research interests lie in two distinctly different areas. One area involves synthesis and structural characterization of main group metal halides complexes with imidazole-2-chalcogenone ligands. Undergraduate researchers in our laboratory have made over forty new complexes, and we have collaborative liaisons for structural characterizations with both Georgia Tech and Clemson University. I am primarily interested in ligand packing effects and overall hard-soft characteristics of donor sites in relation to lone-pair stereoactivity in 14 valence electron systems. Additionally, I am interested in alternate synthetic techniques for chalcogenone ligands, especially tellurones, and in the use of many of these substances as synthons for other compounds [1,2].
The third area of interest is in treating chemical warfare agents with
simple inorganic salts in order to render substances such as Sarin (GB), Soman (GD), VX, and
mustard (HD) inactive. This is a collaborative effort with the United States
Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. [2].
1. Williams, D.J.; Gulla, D.; Arrowood, K.A.; Bloodworth, L.M.; Carmack, A.L.; Evers, T.J.; Wilson, M.S.; Concepcion, J.J.; Brevett, C.A.S.; Huck, B.E.; VanDerveer, D. "The Preparation, Characterization and X-ray Structural Analysis of Tetrakis[1-methyl-3-(2-propyl)-2(3H)-imidazolethione]cadmium(II) Hexafluorophosphate" Journal of Chemical Crystallography, 2009, 39, 581-584.
2. Williams, D.J.; Anderton, J.T.; Armstrong, E.A.; Bowen, M.H.; Hart, R.E.; Tata, S.K.; Smith, D.R.; White, K.M.; VanDerveer, D. "The effect of steric bulk on coordination sphere geometry for BiCl3 complexes with bulky heterocyclic imidazolethione ligands" Main Group Chemistry, 2007, 6, 263-270.