Walter Cleland
Associate Professor
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Contact Information
Office: 311 Coulter Hall
Phone: 662-915-5422
Email: cleland AT olemiss.edu
Educational and Professional Background
B.S., Miami University (Ohio), 1977
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 1984
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Arizona, 1983-1986
Research Interests: Preparation of models for the metal centers of metalloenzymes and proteins, including the nickel-containing hydrogenases and urease; synthesis of novel metal sulfur clusters; preparation of self-assembled monolayers on gold having unusual electronic, optical, or magnetic properties |
Research Summary
The research interests of our group are in the areas of synthetic inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry. More specifically, we
are interested in the preparation and properties of metal sulfur complexes as models for a variety of important biological systems
and industrial processes. Enzymes such as the nickel-containing hydrogenases, carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, and urease possess nickel-containing active sites for which no accurate structural, electronic, and chemical model complexes have been prepared. The main focus of our bioinorganic research involves the emerging role of nickel in biological systems. Nickel has recently been shown to be an essential component in several enzymes, including jack bean urease; several hydrogenases; carbon monoxide dehydrogenase; and S-methyl coenzyme-M methyl reductase,
the terminal enzyme in methane-producing bacteria. Although the involvement of nickel is now well-established, relatively little
is known about the details of the structure and function of the nickel sites in these enzymes.
Recent Publications
Leavy, M. C.; Bhattacharyya, S.; Cleland, W. E.; Hussey, C. L., Electrochemical and spectroscopic characterization of self-assembled monolayers of unsymmetrical ferrocenyl dialkyl sulfide derivatives on gold. Langmuir 1999, 15, 6582-6586.
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