Prof. Luke A. Burke

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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Arts and Sciences-Camden
Chemistry
ChairAppointed: 2006
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Arts and Sciences-Camden
Chemistry
Professor I Acd Yr

Mailing Address

Chemistry Department
Rutgers University
315 Penn Street
Camden, New Jersey 08102
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (856) 225-6158
burke@camden.rutgers.edu
http://camchem.rutgers.edu/~burke

Qualifications

D.Sc., Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, Theoretical Organic Chemistry, 1978.
M.S., New York University, Organic Chemistry, 1973.
B.S., Fordham University, Chemistry, 1970.

Expertise and Research Interests

My long-range research plans are for the study of reaction mechanisms at the active sites of enzymes and metal surfaces using the methods of Theoretical Chemistry. My approach is twofold. First is the detailed study of small organic molecules. I have been developing the use of centroids of charge and second-moment dispersions of localized molecular orbitals as measures of the progressions of reactions. At the other end, I have been studying the effect of long-range delocalized interaction of the bulk of the catalyst on the active site. Also, a nonempirical model potential technique is being adapted to the calculation of the bands structures of polymers. The electronic structures of many polymers, hydrocarbons, plastics, polypeptides,one dimensional semiconductors..., are now being studied.

Other Expertise

Reviewer, Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry 12/02 - present;
Reviewer, International Journal of Quantum Chemistry. 01/88 - present;
Reviewer, Journal of the American Chemical Society. 01/89 - present;
Reviewer, Chemical Physics Letters 10/96 - present;
Reviewer, Tetrahedron Letters.

Industrial Relevance

Molecular design of drugs and other materials of commercial interest; Systems administration, computer programming, and mathematical analysis needed for the application of quantum theoretical methods to problems of chemical and pharmacological interest

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Computer Programming, Computer Systems Administration, Lasers and Masers, Mathematics, Polymer Chemistry, Quantum Chemistry.

Additional Terms:

Conformations of Polypeptides and Other Polymers, Electronic Structure of Electrically Conducting Polymers, Localized Molecular Orbitals, Molecular Modeling, Organic Reaction Mechanisms.

Languages

(Reading, Writing, Speaking)

English: (Fluent, Fluent, Fluent)
French: (Fluent, Functional, Functional)
Irish Gaelic: (Basic, None, None)
Vlaams: (Basic, None, None)

Memberships

American Chemical Society
American Institute of Chemists
World Association of Theoretically Oriented Chemists

Honors and Awards

1978, Jan Stas Prize, The Royal Belgian Academy of Sciences, Award for Doctoral Thesis Summa Cum Laude

Previous Positions

2004-2005, Invited Professor, National University of Ireland, Galway
10/78-9/79, Universite Paul Sabatier of Toulouse,
1/98-5/98, Invited Professor, National University of Ireland at Galway,
1/86-5/87, Invited Scientist, Oxford University, Theoretical Chemistry Department
03/78-09/78, Belgian Government Ministerial Postdoctoral Fellowship, Facultes Universitaires de Namur, Belgium,
Universite de Strasbourg, France,
NATO-NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, Facultes Universitaires de Namur, Belguim,
NASA-AEEE Summer Faculty Fellow, Hampton VA 07/83 - 08/83
NASA-AEEE Summer Faculty Fellow, Hampton VA 07/84 - 08/84
NASA-AEEE Summer Faculty Fellow, Cleveland OH 07/88 - 08/88
NASA-AEEE Summer Faculty Fellow, Cleveland OH 07/89 - 08/89

Funding Received

  • Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation - Lucent Technologies: 'Partners in Science', $750,000, Jul 1, 2000 to Jun 30, 2003.
  • Department of the Army: Theoretical Studies on Chemical Systems, $85,325, Jul 1995 to Dec 1999.
  • National Science Foundation (NSF): Academic Research Infrastructure-Equipment Award, 2D-FTIR, $320,000, 1996 to 1999.
  • National Science Foundation (NSF): Academic Research Infrastructure-Equipment Award, Computer System for Chemistry Department, $100,000, 1995 to 1997.
  • NSF-New Jersey Higher Education Trust Fund: Renovations to Chemistry Building, $708,204, 1994 to 1997.

Publications

  • Butler RN, Hanniffy JM, Stephens JC, Burke LA (Feb 2008) A Ceric Ammonium Nitrate N-Dearylation of N-p-Anisylazoles Applied to Pyrazole, Triazole, Tetrazole, and Pentazole Rings: Release of Parent Azoles. Generation of Unstable Pentazole, HN(5)/N(5)(-), in Solution., The Journal of organic chemistry, 73 (4), 1354-64 Abstract
  • Richard N. Butler, Anthony G. Coyne, Patrick McArdle, Lisa M. Sibley and Luke A. Burke (2007) Uncharacteristic thione behavior in a Huisgen cycloaddition reaction: a kinetic and theoretical study, Tetrahedron Letters, 48 (38), 6684-6687
  • Richard N. Butler, Helena A. Gavin, Eamon M. Moloney, Patick McArdle, Desmond Cunningham and Luke A. Burke (2006) Spirally twisted imidazolium iminyl ylide structures from 1,2-rearrangements in reactions of imidazolium dicyanomethanide 1,3-dipoles with maleic anhydride: new perspectives on the Boekelheide-Fedoruk ring expansions, Tetrahedron Letters, 47 (34), 6107-6111
  • Butler RN, Cunningham WJ, Coyne AG, Burke LA (Sep 2004) The influence of water on the rates of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions: trigger points for exponential rate increases in water-organic solvent mixtures. Water-super versus water-normal dipolarophiles., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 126 (38), 11923-9 Abstract
  • Martin JV, Padron JM, Newman MA, Chapell R, Leidenheimer NJ, Burke LA (Apr 2004) Inhibition of the activity of the native gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor by metabolites of thyroid hormones: correlations with molecular modeling studies., Brain Research, 1004 (1-2), 98-107 Abstract
  • Luke A. Burke and Paul J. Fazen (2004) Consideration of spin states in determining the structure and decomposition of the transition metal pentazoles FeClN5, Fe(N5)2, Fe(H2O)4ClN5, and Fe(NH3)4ClN5, Chemical Communications, 9 (2004), 1082
  • Paul J. Fazen and Luke A. Burke, Theoretical studies of borazynes and azaborines, Inorganic Chemistry, 45 (6), 2006
  • Development of the Valence Effective Hamiltonian method and computer program for the calculation of the electronic structure of polymers
  • Elucidation of molecular pathways in heteroaromatic pericyclic reactions, discovered the pseudoelectrocyclic reaction mechanism

Profile Details

Last Updated: 2/15/2008

COS Expertise ID #453666
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/laburke