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Profile for Curtis Czerwinski

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Curtis Czerwinski

Professor
Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

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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.