Profile for Curtis Czerwinski
Contact me
Curtis Czerwinski
Professor
Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Curtis Czerwinski
Professor
Chemistry & Biochemistry
Specialty area(s)
Organometallic chemistry
Pre-medicine advisor
Education
Ph.D., Organic Chemistry; University of Wisconsin-Madison (1996)
B.S., Chemistry, ACS Certified, Highest Honors; University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (1991)
Career
Teaching history
Introductory Chemistry
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry II
General Chemistry Laboratory
Survey of Organic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry I
Organic Chemistry II
Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Advanced Organic Chemistry
Advanced Synthesis
Professional history
Professor, Chemistry; University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2012-present)
Associate Professor, Chemistry; University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2005-2012)
Assistant Professor, Chemistry; University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1999-2005)
Academic Professional Lecturer; University of Wyoming; Laramie, WY (1997-1999)
Post-doctoral Research Associate;Colorado State University; Jack R. Norton (1996-1997)
Graduate Research Assistant; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Charles P. Casey (1992-1996)
Graduate Teaching Assistant; University of Wisconsin-Madison (1991-1992)
Awards and Honors
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Provost Teaching Excellence Award (2013)
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse SAPA Most Accessible Instructor Award (2003)
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse RHAC Outstanding Professor of the Year Award (2001)
University of Wyoming Beatrice Gallatin Beuf Award for Outstanding Teaching (1999)
University of Wyoming ACS Student Affiliate Professor of the Year Award (1999)
Polanki Society Stanley F. and Helen Balcerzak Award (1996)
Professional Affiliations
American Chemical Society
Sigma Xi
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)
Research and publishing
Dr. Czerwinski’s research interests are in organometallic chemistry, which is an area at the interface between organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry.
His research group synthesizes new organometallic molecules and uses infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study their structures and reactions. He has developed collaborations with scientists at UW-Madison and Moscow State University to conduct X-ray crystallographic studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the structural and dynamic features of target molecules.
His specific interests involve the design and synthesis of molecules that exhibit rearrangements with industrial and biological applications. These include hydroxycarbene-acyl hydride equilibria, and arene-arene haptotropic rearrangements in biphenyl chromium compounds that may act as molecular switches or molecular devices. He has recently extended this work toward the synthesis of water-soluble organometallic compounds that may have medicinal applications.
Publications: (* = undergraduate researcher)
Intricacies of ligand coordination in Cr(0) tricarbonyl complexes with ortho- and para-fluoro-biphenyls Guzei, I. A.; Spencer, L. C.; Buechel, S. C.*; Kaufmann, L. B.*; Czerwinski, C. J.Acta Cryst. 2017, C73, 638-644. (this publication was featured on the cover of the journal.)
Methylation of mesitylene chromium tricarbonyl – An undergraduate advanced synthesis experiment Czerwinski, C. J.; Cordes, T. J.*; Zorn, S. A.* Chem. Educator 2015, 20, 154-156.
DFT study of intramolecular interring eta-6, eta-6 haptotropic rearrangements in tricarbonylchromium complexes of 2-aminobiphenyl and 4-aminobiphenyl Czerwinski, C. J.; Fetisov, E. O.; Gloriozov, I. P.; Oprunenko, Y. F. Dalton Trans. 2013, 42, 10487-10494.
Haptotropic rearrangement in tricarbonylchromium complexes of 2-aminobiphenyl and 4-aminobiphenyl Czerwinski, C. J.; Guzei, I. A.; Riggle, K. M.*; Schroeder, J. R.*; Spencer, L. C. Dalton Trans., 2011, 40, 9439-9446.
A methane balloon inflation chamber Czerwinski, C. J.; Cordes, T. J.* J. Chem. Educ. 2005, 82, 248-250.
(eta-6-biphenyl) tricarbonylchromium and (eta-6: eta-6-biphenyl)bis(tricarbonylchromium)Guzei, I. A.; Czerwinski, C.J. Acta Cryst., 2004, C60, m615-m617.
(eta-6-2-Bromo-1, 1'-biphenyl) chromium tricarbonyl Czerwinski, C. J.; Guzei, I. A.; Cordes, T. J.*; Mlodik, N. A.*; Czerwinski, K. M. Acta Cryst., 2003, C53, m499-m500.
Mechanism of insertion of carbodiimides into the Zr-C bonds of zirconaaziridines. Formation of a-amino amidines Tunge, J. A.; Czerwinski, C. J.; Gately D. A.; Norton, J. R. Organometallics, 2001, 20, 254-260.
Chelated alkyl halide manganese complexes (eta-5: eta-1-C5H4CH2CH2X)Mn(CO)2 from photolysis of (eta-5-C5H4CH2CH2X)Mn(CO)3 Casey, C. P., Czerwinski, C. J., Fraley, M. E.* Inorg. Chim. Acta., 1998, 280, 316-321.
Cis addition of hydrogen chloride to an amphiphilic carbene complex Casey, C. P.; Czerwinski, C. J.; Hayashi, R. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 5750-5751.
Ring strain perturbation of the equilibria between hydroxycarbene complexes and metal acyl hydride complexes Casey, C. P.; Czerwinski, C. J.; Fusie, K. A.*; Hayashi, R. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 3971-3978.
Formation of a dirhenium carbene complex from reaction of (C5H4Li)Re(CO)3 with (C5H5)Re(CO)3 Casey, C. P.; Czerwinski, C. J.; Hayashi, R. K. Organometallics, 1996, 15, 4362-4365.
Equilibrium between a hydroxycarbene complex and a metal acyl hydride complex Casey, C. P.; Czerwinski, C. J.; Hayashi, R. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1995, 117, 4189-4190.