Chemistry and Biochemistry Program Presents

A Lecture on The Chemical Origins of Life: Physical and Chemical Models for the Emergence of Biological Homochirality

The single chirality of the amino acids and sugars that make up the building blocks of life has fascinated scientists and laymen alike since Pasteur’s first separation of the enantiomorphic crystals of a tartrate salt over 150 years ago. In the past several decades, a number of theoretical and experimental investigations have helped to delineate models for how one enantiomer might have come to dominate over the other. Professor Donna Blackmond will speak about how her research hilights mechanisms that include either chemical or physical processes, or a combination of both. While much of the scientific driving force for this work arises from an interest in understanding the origin of life, research focusing on mechanisms for the enantioenrichment of chiral molecules has the potential to impact a wide range of applications, most notably in the synthesis and formulation of pharmaceuticals.

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Professor Donna Blackmond is the John C. Martin Endowed Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research. She is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and has received the Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists.Professor Blackmond was honored with the 2023 James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry “for fundamental investigations of complex organic reaction mechanisms in practical organic synthesis and breakthrough studies of the emergence of biological homochirality.”

Supported by The Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions Award.

For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].

Time: 4:45 pm EDT/GMT-4

Location: Olin Auditorium

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