Auburn University
Auburn University
 

Auburn University > COSAM > Academic Departments > Chemistry & Biochemistry > Faculty >

J.V. Ortiz Christian R. Goldsmith


Harvard University, A. B., 1998
Stanford University, Ph.D., 2004
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 2004-2007

Phone: (334) 844-6463
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Synthetic inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry, oxidative catalysis, biological imaging

My research lies at the interface between traditional inorganic chemistry and biochemistry. Two diverse goals are pursued: (1) the development of catalysts for difficult organic transformations and (2) the production of biosensors capable of detecting reactive oxygen species.

Halogenation: Many natural products known to have medicinal properties contain chlorine and bromine at key positions in the molecular architecture. These halogen atoms are found on aliphatic, olefinic, and aromatic carbons and have demonstrated the ability to profoundly impact the biological activity of the compound. The lack of reactions capable of installing halogens regio- and/or stereoselectively hinders the independent syntheses of these natural products, complicating both identification and large-scale production.

Nature has developed the means to activate even aliphatic carbons for halogenation. It does so using first-row transition metal ions (V, Fe), dioxygen, and salt water. The ultimate objective of this project is to replicate this reactivity with coordination compounds as bio-inspired catalysts.

Biosensors: Reactive oxygen species (ROSs) have been implicated in a number of health conditions, including numerous cardiovascular and neurological pathologies. The ability to monitor aberrant oxidative activity within living subjects would be a tremendous boon for medicine, with the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment of the associated diseases.

Recently, a number of compounds have been developed to detect ROS activity. Most of these rely on a change in the fluorescent properties of the probe to signal the presence of a ROS. This project aims to develop novel ROS sensors and expand their application to include living subjects.

 

Selected Publications:

“Hydrogen Atom Abstraction by a Mononuclear Ferric Hydroxide Complex: Insights into the Reactivity of Lipoxygenase.” C. R. Goldsmith, T. D. P. Stack, Inorg. Chem., 2006, 45, 6048-6055.

“Selective Labeling of Extracellular Proteins Containing Polyhistidine Sequences by a Fluorescein-Nitrilotriacetic Acid Conjugate.” C. R. Goldsmith, J. Jaworski, M. Sheng, S. J. Lippard, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 418-419.

“6-Methyl for Pyridyl Substitution Tunes the Properties of Fluorescent Zinc Sensors of the Zinpyr Family.” C. R. Goldsmith, S. J. Lippard, Inorg. Chem., 2006, 45, 555-561.

“C-H Activation by a Mononuclear Manganese(III) Hydroxide Complex: Synthesis and Characterization of a Manganese-Lipoxygenase Mimic?” C. R. Goldsmith, A. P. Cole, T. D. P. Stack, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2005, 127, 9904-9912.

“C-H Bond Activation by a Ferric Methoxide Complex: Modeling the Rate-Determining Step in the Mechanism of Lipoxygenase.” C. R. Goldsmith, R. T. Jonas, T. D. P. Stack, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2002; 124, 83-96.