CAREER: An Integrated Program of Research Focused on Understanding Chiral Recognition of Branched Amino Acid Based Molecular Micelles, Mentorship, Outreach, & Faculty Develop

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Professor Eugene Billiot of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division to investigate and elucidate the factors responsible for chiral recognition with media specifically designed for use as chiral pseudostationary phases in capillary electrophoresis. The focus is to develop and characterize chiral amino acid-based surfactants (molecular micelles) for use in enantiomeric separarations. To expedite the discovery process, molecular modeling is used to develop quantitative structure-property relationships that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the new materials as chiral selectors and to gain a better understanding of where and how chiral discrimination takes place on these materials. The overall objectives of the educational components are, (1) to increase the number of underrepresented and economically challenged students pursuing careers in science through early involvement of undergraduates in scientific research, (2) to increase the participation of undergraduate students in community outreach to the local K-12 schools, and (3) to facilitate faculty development by conducting a series of seminars and workshops designed to help "new" faculty become more effective teachers, researchers, and mentors.A large number of important pharmaceuticals are chiral, and in many cases the two stereoisomers are known to have different biological activity. There is thus considerable interest in developing improved methods for chiral separations.