943 College Mall · Wooster, OH 44691 · Phone 330-263-2418 · chemistry@wooster.edu

Paul A. Bonvallet Department of Chemistry 943 College Mall The College of Wooster Wooster, Ohio 44691-2363 Severance Hall 124 Office: (330) 263-2610 FAX: (330) 263-2386 pbonvallet@wooster.edu

Paul A. Bonvallet, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, graduated from Kenyon College in 1996 with a B.A. in chemistry and a minor in physics. A native Midwesterner, Paul received his Ph.D. investigating the photochemistry of matrix-isolated carbenes at the University of Wisconsin in 2001 under the mentorship of Robert McMahon. From 2002-2004 he was a postdoctoral fellow in Fraser Stoddart's research group at UCLA's Department of Chemistry and California NanoSystems Institute, where he worked with a multidisciplinary team to develop and successfully employ a "molecular muscle" to perform micromechanical work by harnessing molecular motion. Following an appointment as an instructor at Mount St. Mary's College concurrent with his postdoctoral research, Paul joined the Wooster faculty in the summer of 2004.

Dr. Bonvallet's research interests include supramolecular chemistry, molecular recognition, physical organic chemistry, photochemistry, and reactive intermediates. His current research focuses upon the noncovalent modification of conductive polymers in order to tune their electroluminescent properties. Paul teaches Introductory Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Independent Study courses.

Paul Bonvallet CV

Link to Bonvallet Research Page

Link to WKSU radio story on "The Chemistry of Thanksgiving Dinner" 11/23/06

Peer-Reviewed Publications

10. Bonvallet, P. A.; Breitkreuz, C. J.; Kim, Y. S.; Todd, E. M.;^‡ Traynor, K.; Fry, C. G.; Ediger, M. D.; McMahon, R. J. Organic Glass-Forming Materials: 1,3,5-Tris(naphthyl)benzene Derivatives. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 10051-10057.

9. Huang, T. J.; Flood, A. H., Brough, B.; Liu, Y.; Bonvallet, P. A.; Kang, S.; Chu, C.-W.; Guo, T. F.; Lu, W.; Yang, Y.; Stoddart, J. F.; Ho, C.-M. Understanding and Harnessing Biomimetic Molecular Machines for NEMS Actuation Materials. IEEE Trans. Autom. Sci. Eng. (special issue on nanoscale automation and assembly) 2006, 3, 254-259.

8. Liu, Y.; Vignon, S. A.; Zhang, X.; Bonvallet, P. A.; Kahn, S. I.; Houk, K. N.; Stoddart, J. F. Dynamic Chirality in Donor-Acceptor Pretzelanes. J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70, 9334-9344.

7. Liu, Y.; Flood, A. H.; Bonvallet, P. A.; Vignon, S. A.; Northrop, B. H.; Tseng, H.-R.; Jeppesen, J. O.; Huang, T. J.; Brough, B.; Baller, M.; Magonov, S.; Solares, S. D.; Goddard, W. A.; Ho, C.-M.; Stoddart, J. F. Linear Artificial Molecular Muscles. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 9745-9759.

6. Liu, Y.; Bonvallet, P. A.; Vignon, S. A.; Kahn, S. I.; Stoddart, J. F. Donor-Acceptor Pretzelanes and a Cyclic Bis[2]Catenane Homologue. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 3050-3055.

5. Huang, T. J.; Brough, B.; Ho, C.-M.; Liu, Y.; Flood, A. H.; Bonvallet, P. A.; Tseng, H.-R.; Stoddart, J. F.; Baller, M.; Magonov, S. A nanomechanical device based on linear molecular motors. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2004, 85, 5391-5393.

4. Swallen, S. F.; Bonvallet, P. A.; McMahon, R. J.; Ediger, M. D. Self-Diffusion of tris-Naphthylbenzene near the Glass Transition Temperature. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2003, 90, 015901/1-015901/4.

3. Bonvallet, P. A.; Todd, E. M.;Kim, Y. S.; McMahon, R. J. Access to the Naphthylcarbene Rearrangement Manifold via Isomeric Benzodiazocycloheptatrienes. J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 9031-9042.

2. Bonvallet, P. A.; McMahon, R. J. Generation, Characterization, and Rearrangements of 4,5-Benzocyclohepta-1,2,4,6-tetraene. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 9332-9333.

1. Bonvallet, P. A.; McMahon, R. J. Photoequilibration of 1 Naphthylcarbene and 4,5-Benzobicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4,6-triene. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 10496-10503.

Recent Grant Support

"Acquisition of an Isothermal Titration Calorimeter," (Mark Snider and Donald Jacobs, co PIs) National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (CHE-0619123), $91,090; August 2006 - July 2009.

"The Synthesis, Characterization, and Supramolecular Properties of a Light-Emitting Polymer," Research Corporation (Cottrell College Science Award), $36,232; May 2006 - April 2008.

Updated: July 26, 2007