Maureen Fagan

Maureen Fagan Assistant Professor of Chemistry Smith College
Office: Sabin-Reed 230 Office Hours: by appointment Phone: (413) 585 - 3839 Fax:(413) 585 - 3786 Email: mfagan@email.smith.edu
EDUCATION Ph. D. University of Wisconsin, 1999 Thesis: I. Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Alkene Complexation in Yttrium-Alkyl-Alkene Complexes. II. Mechanism of the Reversal of Enantioselectivity in the Platinum-Catalyzed Hydroformylation of Styrene. Advisor: Charles P. Casey B.S. University of New Hampshire, Chemistry, 1994 Advisor: Gary R. Weisman PROFESSIONAL HISTORY Smith College, 2002- Assistant Professor of Chemistry Rhode Island College, 2000-2002 Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Massachusetts Institute of Technology Post-doctoral fellow with Stephen L. Buchwald COURSES CHM 111: Chemistry I: General Chemistry CHM 222: Chemistry II: Organic Chemistry CHM 223: Chemistry III: Organic Chemistry CHM 226: Synthesis CHM 324: Organometallics RESEARCH INTERESTS Mechanisms of organic and organometallic reactions: how do they work and how can their selectivity be improved? We are probing two very divergent systems that remarkably have similar intermediates: (1) palladium complexes used to create carbon-carbon bonds with stereoselectivity, and (2) bacterial enzymes that dechlorinate haloacetic acids in water. SELECTED PUBLICATIONS “Reversal of Enantioselectivity in the Hydroformylation of Styrene with [2S,4S-BDPP]Pt(SnCl3)Cl at High Temperature Arises from a Change in the Enantioselective Determining Step.” Casey, C. P.; Martins, S.; Fagan, M. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 125, 5585 - 5592. “Structural Dependence of Thermodynamics of Alkene Binding to Yttrium Alkyl Complexes and the Kinetics of Alkyl Migration to Coordinated Alkenes.” Casey, C. P.; Tunge, J. A.; Lee, T.-Y.; Fagan, M. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 2641-2651. “Why Propene is Not Polymerized by (Cp2YH)2: Reactions of Yttrium Alkyl Complexes with Alkenes Produce Allyl Complexes.” Casey, C. P.; Tunge, J. A.; Fagan, M. A. J. Organomet. Chem. 2002, 633, 91-97. "Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Alkene Complexation in d⁰ Metal-Alkyl-Alkene Complexes." Casey, C. P.; Klein, J. F.; Fagan, M. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc.* 2000, 122, 4320-4330. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS American Chemical Society Council on Undergraduate Research Sigma Xi back to chemistry home