Chirality publishes student, Wenzel co-authored research

The March issue of the journal Chirality publishes original research co-authored by Bates students, now alums, Katelyn Provencher ’08, Madeline Weber ’08 and Lauren Randall ’04, along with award-winning Dana Professor of Chemistry Tom Wenzel and former lecturer Catherine Dignam. Their paper continues the significant work by Wenzel and his undergraduates in the area of chirality. This chemistry field examines molecules that are mirror images (“enantiomers”) of each other but which, despite their similarity, can have very different reactive effects. Specifically, Wenzel seeks ways to figure out which enantiomer might be present, and in what amounts, in various compounds. The team’s paper is titled, “Carboxymethylated Cyclodextrins and their Complexes with Pr(III) and Yb(III) as Watersoluble Chiral NMR Solvating Agents for Cationic Compounds.”