Chemistry and Biochemistry

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Nov 26: Thanksgiving Day; campus closed
Nov 27: Thanksgiving Break; campus closed

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Placement exam requirement for CHEM 200/202, General Chemistry I.
Congratulations to Chemistry Profs. Tom Huxford and Carl Carrano, both with papers recently accepted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, one of the three most highly cited multidisciplinary science journals in the world.
Congratulations again to Chemistry Chair Carl Carrano, for a recent International Collaboration in Chemistry (ICC) grant for studies to be conducted jointly at SDSU and in Luebeck, Germany.
SDSU Chem & Biochem Ranks 19th in the Nation in Number of M.S. Chemistry Degrees Awarded. The complete rankings are available from the American Chemical Society.

Ratnasamy Somanathan

Adjunct Professor
Organic Chemistry

Office: CSL 233
Office Phone: 619-594-5264
e-mail: somanath_at_sundown.sdsu.edu

Research Interests

My research interests are in developing new synthetic technologies leading to biologically active natural and unnatural products. Major programs include the synthesis of biologically active enamides (styrylamides) isolated from marine and microorganisms, and the development of methods leading to the enantioselective synthesis of beta-amino alcohols.

Selected Publications

Synthesis of Z-N-Alkenyformamides. Lucina G. Sanchez, Ratnasamy Somanathan, Lars H. Helleberg, Gerardo Aguirre. Synthetic Communications, 38, 45-53 (2008).
Stereoselective Synthesis of Rubrenoic and nor-Rubrenoic acids. Lucina G. Sanchez, Elizabeth N. Castillo, Hortensia Maldonado, Daniel Chavez, Ratnasamy Somanathan, Gerardo Aguirre. Synthetic Communications, 38, 54-71 (2008).
Unylinker: An Efficient and Scaleable Sintesis of Oligonucleotides Utilizing a Universal Linker Molecule: A Novel Approach To Enhance the Purity of Drugs. Vasulinga T Ravikumar, R. Krishna Kumar, Phil Olsen, Max N. Moore, Recaldo L. Carty, mark Andrade, Dennis Gorman, Xuefeng Zhu, Isaiah Cedillo, Zhiwei Wang, Lucio Mendez, Anthony N. Sccozzari, Gerardo Aguirre, Ratnasamy Somanathan, Sylviain Bernees. Org. Proc. Res. Dev. 12, 399-410 (2008).
Ruthenium(II) and rhodium(III) catalyzed asymmetric transfer Hydrogenation (ATH) of acetophenone in isopropanol and in Aqueous sodium formate using new chiral substituted aromaticMonosulfonamide ligands derived from (1R,2R)-diaminocyclo-hexane. Norma A. Cortez, Gerardo Aguirre, Miguel Parra-Hake, Ratnasamy Somanathan. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 19, 1304-1309 (2008).
Ototoxicity and Noise Trauma: Electron Transfer, Reactive Oxygen Species, Cell Signaling, Electrical Effects, and Protection by Antioxidants: Practical Medical Aspects. Peter Kovacic and Ratnasamy Somanathan, Medical Hypotheses, 70, 914-923 (2008).
Intergrated Approach to Immunotoxicity: Electron Transfer, Reactive oxygen Species, Antioxidants, Cell Signaling, and receptors. Peter Kovacic and Ratnasamy Somanathan, J. Receptor Signal Transduction 28: 323-346 (2008).
Water-soluble chiral monosulfonamide-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine-rhCp* complex and its application in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of ketones. Norma A. Cortez, Gerardo Aguirre, Miguel Parra-Hake, Ratnasamy Somanathan. Tetrahedron Lett., 48, 4335-4338, (2007).
Lewis Acid-Lewis-Base Bifunctional Schiff Base-Titanium, Vanadium Catalysis for Enantioselective Cyanosilylation of Benzaldehyde and Oxidation of Sulfides to Chiral Sulfoxides. Lucia Z. Flores-Lopez, Ana L. Iglesias, Angeles Gama, Gerardo Aguirre, Miguel Para-Hake, Ratnasamy Somanathan. J Mex. Chem. Soc. 51, 175-180 (2007).
Peter Kovacic, Ratnasamy Somanathan, "Mechanism of Tumorigenesis: Focus on Oxidative Stress, Electron Transfer and Antioxidants." In Tumorigenesis Research Advances, Ed. David K. Wong, 2007, Ch. 2. pp. 23-6. .Nova Science Publishers Inc., NY.
New C2-Symmetric Bis(sulfonamide)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine-RhCp* Complex and its Application in the Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogeation (ATH) of Ketones in Water. Norma A. Cortez, Ramon Rodriguez-Apodaca, Gerardo Aguirre, Miguel Parra-Hake, Thomas Cole, Ratnasamy Somanathan. Tetrahedron Lett., 47, 8515-8518, (2006).
Mechanism of Teratogenesis: Electron Transfer, Reactive Oxygen Species, and Antioxidants. Peter Kovacic, Ratnasamy Somanathan. Birth Defect Reasearch (Part C), 78, 308-325, (2006).