Western Illinois University: Macomb Campus

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Additional Information

By Appointments

Education

B. S. Jilin University; M. S. Nankai University; Ph.D. from State University of New York at Albany, 2006; Post-Doctoral Fellow: Rensselaer Polytechnic University (2006-2007)

Teaching Areas

Organic Chemistry, Advanced Organic Chemistry

Research Interests

Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Antioxidants can block the chain reaction caused by free radicals before cell damage can result. Selenium antioxidants are one of the important types of antioxidants. All antioxidants have a chemical element referred to as a “redox” potential, which is the measurement of their ability to be oxidized. Experiment evidence has shown that incorporation of silicon atom or Si-Si bond at the beta position of Se atom in organoselenium compounds will enhance the activities of these compounds by lowering the redox potential.  This is due to the beta-silicon effect or beta-disilanyl effect.

The objective of my research is to design and synthesize new organic selenium antioxidants with more potent antioxidant activities compared to the currently available selenium antioxidants. Based on the currently known selenium antioxidants such as selenocystein, selenocystamine, 3,3-diselenobispropionic acid, etc,  the structures and synthesis of some new organoselenium antioxidants with incorporation of silicon atom or silicon-silicon bond at the beta position are proposed. Their antioxidant abilities will be evaluated by testing their redox potentials and different antioxidant capacity assays.

 

Current Research Funding

WIU University Research Council Grant, 2011-2012

Recent Publications

Electrochemical and chemical Oxidation of Dithia-, diselena-, ditellura-, selenathia- and tellurathia- mesocycles and stability of the oxidized species.  Evans D; Gruhn N; Jin J; Li B; Lorance E; Okumura N; Macia-Ruvalcaba N; Zakai U; Zhang S-Z; Block E; Glass R, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2010; 75: 1997-2009.

Syntheses of novel high affinity ligands for opioid receptors. Wentland MP, Lou R, Lu Q, Bu Y, Denhardt C, Jin J, Ganorka R, VanAlstine MA Guo C, Cohen DJ, Bidlack JM. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2009; 19: 2289-2294.

Chemistry of Mixed Sulfur-, Selenium-, or Tellurium- and Silicon-, or Tin-Containing Heterocycles.    Block E, Glass RS, Gruhn NE, Jin J, Lorance E, Zakai UI, Zhang S-Z. Phosphorus, Sulfur and Silicon and the Related Elements 2008; 183: 856-862.

Interaction of C-Si, C-Sn, and Si-Si s -Bonds with Chalcogen Lone Pairs Glass RS, Block E, Gruhn NE, Jin J, Lorance E, Zakai UI, Zhang S-Z.  Journal of Organic Chemistry 2007; 72: 8290-8297.

Synthesis, Structure and Chemistry of New, Mixed Group 14 and 16 Heterocycles: Nucleophile-Induced Ring Contraction of Mesocyclic Dications. Block E, Dikarev EV, Glass RS, Jin J, Li B, Li X, Zhang S-Z. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2006; 128: 14949-14961.