    |
 |
|
| Vol.
1, No. 2 - December 14, 2001 Chemist Receives Research Funds Steve Frey, assistant professor of chemistry, has received a three-year grant of nearly $50,000 from the Petroleum Research Fund for a project that might eventually help identify and/or remediate environmental toxins. Frey's project, "Catalytic Hydrolysis of Phosphate Esters by La(III) Ion-Exchanged Hectorite Clay," evolved from collaborative research that a former student, Benjamin Hutchins '01, and Frey began during the fall of 1999. Frey has long been interested in metalloenzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of DNA or proteins, a reaction that cleaves these molecules. He and student collaborators have synthesized a number of inorganic compounds as models for these enzymes. The project that Frey and Hutchins embarked on represents a new branch of the research. They wanted to see if hectorite clay, a material that binds different kinds of metals, might be capable of catalyzing hydrolysis reactions in a way that is reminiscent of metalloenzymes. If so, this material might eventually be useful for identifying and/or detoxifying environmental toxins such as pesticides or chemical warfare agents, because such substances are susceptible to cleavage by hydrolysis. Says Frey, "Indeed we were able to demonstrate that hectorite, bound with several different types of metals, was capable of hydrolyzing phosphate ester substrates (substrates that might be considered analogs for certain environmental toxins)." The goals of the project are to determine the optimum conditions for catalyzing hydrolysis reactions with the clay, and to work out the mechanistic details of these reactions. "While the project may ultimately lead to a useful application of this material, the work outlined in my proposal is fundamental in nature," Frey explained. Hutchins spent four semesters and one summer (through Skidmore's Summer Collaborative Research Program) working with Frey on preliminary details. He has since graduated from Skidmore and gone on to graduate school at Penn State, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry. Frey also had help from Dana Hach '01, who is currently enrolled at the University of California at Irvine working toward a Ph.D. in biochemistry. His current collaborators are Teresa Schreiber '02, Greg Wurbel '02 and Brian Anderson '03. The PRF funds will support Frey and two student collaborators for the next three summers; will fund the purchase of equipment, chemicals, and supplies; and will provide half of the cost of a new ultraviolet/visible absorption spectrophotometer. According to Frey, "The success of my proposal was undoubtedly reinforced by the fact that Skidmore has agreed to provide $25,000 in matching funds for the project, which will be used for room and board for the students and cover half the cost of the spectrophotometer. The willingness to provide matching funds underscores Skidmore's commitment to undergraduate research and the principle of linking theoretical with applied learning. This was most certainly an important consideration in PRF's decision to fund my proposal." Skidmore Intercom Skidmore College 815 North Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518.580.5000 intercom@skidmore.edu |