Adam R. Johnson

Current Position
Associate Professor of Chemistry           
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA; July 2005 - present  

Previous positions:
Visiting Associate in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology; June 2005-August 2006
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA; July 1999 - June 2005 

Education
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow; September 1997 - June 1999
University of California, Berkeley, CA           
Advisor: Professor Kenneth N. Raymond
Research topic: New Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Ph. D., Inorganic Chemistry; September 1997
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA            
Advisor: Professor Christopher C. Cummins
Thesis Title: Low-Valent and Low-Coordinate Titanium and Molybdenum Complexes Supported with Bulky Amido Ligands

B. A., High Honors, Chemistry; May 1993            
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Advisor: Martin N. Ackermann Honors
Thesis Title: Progress Towards the Directed Synthesis of Bimetallic Mixed Metal Complexes

Research Interests
Chiral transition metal complexes with amino acid-derived ligands
Intramolecular catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes
Catalytic asymmetric alkylation of prochiral aldehydes
Novel ligands for the synthesis of heterobimetallic complexes

Funding
Harvey Mudd College, Faculty Research Program, 2004-2005, "Catalytic Hydroamination of Aminoallenes With Chiral Titanium Complexes."  $2,653. 
American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund, 2002-2004.  "Synthesis, Structure and Reaction Chemistry of Four-Coordinate Titanium Complexes with Chiral Amino Acid Derived Ligands."  $35,000.
Harvey Mudd College, Faculty Research Program, 2002-2003.  "Synthesis, Structure and Reaction Chemistry of Titanium Complexes with Chiral Amino Acid Derived Ligands."  $6000.
Harvey Mudd College, Faculty Research Program, 2000-2001. "Ligand Design for Organometallic and Inorganic Coordination Complexes."  $10,000.

Professional Activities
President, Claremont Chapter of Sigma Xi; 2003-2004
Vice President, Claremont Chapter of Sigma Xi; 2002-2003
Reviewer, American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund; 2001-2004
Reviewer, NSF; 2004

Teaching Experience
Harvey Mudd College, Chemistry Department
Chemistry 21 (General Chemistry recitation and lecture), Chemistry 22 (General Chemistry recitation and lecture), Chemistry 25 (General Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry 26 (General Chemistry Laboratory), Chemistry 25I (Interdisciplinary laboratory), Chemistry 104 (Inorganic Chemistry), Chemistry 110 (Inorganic Laboratory), Chemistry 163 (Advanced Physical Chemistry, Group Theory), Chemistry 165 (Organometallic Chemistry) Chemistry 199 (Seminar Coordinator)

FORMER RESEARCH GROUP MEMBERS
(senior thesis students indicated by an asterisk)
1. Marja M. Fox* (Harvey Mudd College, 2000), “Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of a Tridentate, Aspartic Acid Derived Ligand for Use in Studies of Chiral Transition Metal Complexes,” Ph. D. candidate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

2. David J. Slade* (Harvey Mudd College, 2000), “Synthesis of a Ligand Designed to Support an Early-Late Hetero-Bimetallic Complex,” Ph. D. candidate, North Carolina State University.

3. Christine B. Yoo (Harvey Mudd College, 2002), “Chiral Transition Metal Complexes with Amino Acid Derived Ligands.” Ph. D. candidate, University of Southern California.

4. Aaron D. Schuler* (Harvey Mudd College, 2001), “Ligand Design for Organometallic and Inorganic Coordination Complexes.” Ph. D. candidate, University of Washington.

5. Gayle J. Pageau (Colby College, 2002), “Synthesis of an Early-Late Hetero-Bimetallic Complex.” M. D./Ph. D. candidate, University of Massachusetts.

6. Catherine K. Ho* (Harvey Mudd College, 2002), “Synthesis and Investigation of Diastereomeric Titanium Complexes.” College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific.

7. Tamara E. Hanna* (Harvey Mudd College, 2002), "Investigation of the reaction chemistry of chiral titanium complexes." Ph. D. candidate, Cornell University.

8. Kendra E. Nelson* (Harvey Mudd College, 2003), “Stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation by diastereomeric titanium complexes.”

9. Claire Edwards* (Harvey Mudd College, 2003), "Synthesis of novel polymetallic complexes inspired by nitrogenase."

10. Elizabeth J. Duvall* (Albion College, 2003), "Reaction chemistry of chiral titanium complexes." Research associate at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

11. Jessica H. Pikul (Reed College, ’04), “Synthesis of di- and trisubstituted aminoallenes for catalytic hydroamination studies.” Ph. D. candidate, University of Washington.

12. Jessica M. Hoover* (Harvey Mudd College, 2004), “Catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes by chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” Ph. D. candidate, University of Washington.

13. Juliette R. Petersen* (Harvey Mudd College, 2004), "Catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes by chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” Ph. D. candidate, University of California, Berkeley.

14. Casey M. Jones (Reed College, ’05), “Addition of dialkyl zinc reagents to aldehydes and ketones mediated by chiral titanium complexes”

15. Jordan R. Boye* (Harvey Mudd College, 2005), “Modeling the titanium catalyzed hydroamination of aminoallenes.”

16. Hanhan Li* (Harvey Mudd College, 2005), “Addition of dialkyl zinc reagents to aldehydes mediated by chiral titanium complexes.”

CURRENT RESEARCH GROUP MEMBERS
(senior thesis students indicated by an asterisk)
1. Amanda Hickman (Harvey Mudd College, 2007), “Addition of dialkyl zinc reagents to aldehydes mediated by chiral titanium complexes”

2. Sam Sobelman (Harvey Mudd College, 2008), “Addition of dialkyl zinc reagents to aldehydes mediated by chiral titanium complexes”

Fellowships, Scholarships and Honors
National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow (1998-9), Sigma Xi, M. I. T. Chapter (1998), Phi Beta Kappa, Oberlin Chapter (1993), High Honors in Chemistry (1993), National Science Foundation Fellowship Honorable Mention (1993), Holmes Prize (1993), Dow Scholarship (1992-3), Jewett Prize (1991), National Science Foundation Summer Intern (1991)
Professional Affiliations
Sigma Xi
Council on Undergraduate Research
American Chemical Society
Phi Beta Kappa
 
Publications
Invited Seminars and Other Presentations
1. “Electronic effects in the synthesis of Titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, March 2005.

2. “Electronic effects in the synthesis of Titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, CA, February 2005.

3. “Catalytic reactions of chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes: intramolecular hydroamination and diethylzinc addition.” Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series, University of Washington, September 28, 2004.

4. “Molecular Micromanagement: Ligand Design for Inorganic Complexes and Organometallic Reaction Chemistry.” Summer faculty research seminar series, Harvey Mudd College, June 17, 2004.

5. “Intramolecular catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes by chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series, University of California, Santa Barbara, May 19, 2004.

6. “Intramolecular catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes by chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series, University of California, Irvine, April 8, 2004.

7. “Intramolecular catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes by chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes.” Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series, University of California, San Diego, February 13, 2004.

8. Adam R. Johnson, Jessica M. Hoover*, and Jessica H. Pikul* “Synthesis and reaction chemistry of chiral titanium complexes with amino-acid derived ligands” Organometallic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference, Newport RI, July 2003.

9. "Titanium Amido Complexes with Amino Acid Derived Ligands." Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series, University of California, Riverside, October 4, 2002.

10. Adam R. Johnson, Tamara E. Hanna* and Kendra E. Nelson* "Synthesis of Diastereomeric Titanium Complexes with a Chelating bis-Amide Ligand Derived From L-Phenylalanine." Organometallic Chemistry Gordon Research Conference, Newport RI, July 2002.

11. "Molecular Micromanagement: Ligand Design for Inorganic Complexes." Summer faculty research seminar series, Harvey Mudd College, June 22, 2000.

12. “Synthesis of New Gadolinium Chelators for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Applications.” American Chemical Society, Annual Meeting, Anaheim, March, 1999, INOR-296.

13. "Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of Molybdenum(V) and -(VI) Chalcogenide Complexes." Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Inorganic Seminar Series, October, 1996.

14. "Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of Molybdenum Chalcogenide Complexes." American Chemical Society, Annual Meeting, Orlando, August, 1996, INOR-419.

15. "Titanium N-t-Butyl Anilide Complexes." American Chemical Society, North-East Regional Meeting, June, 1994.

16. "A Simple Apparatus for C60 preparation." Oberlin College, Special Lecture/Demonstration, several times in 1991-1993.

17. “C60 and C70 Made Simply." American Chemical Society, Meeting in Miniature, Ursuline College, February, 1991.

Student Presentations (Undergraduate co-authors are denoted by an asterisk, presenter is underlined)
1. Adam R. Johnson, Casey M. Jones,* and Hanhan Li;* “Stereoselective alkylation of benzaldehyde by chiral titanium amino alcohol complexes.” American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, March 2005, CHED-1079.

2. Adam R. Johnson, Jessica M. Hoover* and Juliette R. Petersen;* "Catalytic hydroamination of aminoallenes by chiral titanium amino-alcohol complexes." American Chemical Society National Meeting, Anaheim, March 2004, CHED-378.

3. Adam R. Johnson and Kendra E. Nelson* "Titanium amido complexes with amino acid derived ligands." American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, March 2003 CHED-738.

4. Adam R. Johnson and Elizabeth J. Duvall* "Reaction chemistry of chiral titanium complexes." American Chemical Society National Meeting, New Orleans, March 2003, CHED-695.

5. Adam R. Johnson and Tamara E. Hanna* "Synthesis of Diastereomeric Titanium Complexes with a Chelating bis-Amide Ligand Derived From L-Phenylalanine." American Chemical Society National Meeting, Orlando FL, April 2002, CHED-567.

6. Adam R. Johnson and Aaron D. Schuler* "Effects of Ligand Sterics and Electronics on Epimerization of Chiral Titanium Complexes." American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, April 2001, CHED-352.

7. Adam R. Johnson and Christine B. Yoo* "Synthesis and Characterization of Chiral Tetrahedral Titanium Complexes with Amino Acid-Derived Ligands" American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, April 2001, CHED-398.

8. Adam R. Johnson and Gayle J. Pageau* "Synthesis of a Polyfunctional Ligand for Early-Late Heterobimetallic Complexes." American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, April 2001, CHED-410.