Degrees

Ph.D., Chemistry, The Ohio State University, 2015
B.S., Chemistry, Kent State University, 2010 

Teaching Interests

My main focus in the field is inorganic chemistry, which is so exciting to teach because it draws on all of the other sub-disciplines of chemistry. Because of this, I’m interested in making connections between inorganic chemistry and other courses students have taken throughout their careers. Additionally, I think it is vital to balance the abstract and theoretical topics of chemistry with the everyday and practical applications. This philosophy extends to the classroom as well as the laboratory, where I encourage students to explore and ask their own questions, rather than working straight from a manual. 

Research Interests

Research in my group is focused on developing and understanding next generation polymeric materials. This includes discovering new inorganic catalysts, as well as new techniques, to develop switchable catalysts, degradable polymers, and biomedical materials. One of the advantages of this research is that it is highly interdisciplinary and there is something to be found in it for every type of chemist. 

Honors and Awards

Cottrell Scholar Award (2023)

Phi Beta Kappa

Select Publications

Underline Indicates Amherst College Student Author

“Investigating the Ring-Opening Polymerization Activity of Niobium and Tantalum Ethoxides Supported by Phenoxyimine Ligands” Alyson S. Plaman and Christopher B. Durr, ACS Omega, 7 (27), 2022, 23995 - 24003.

“Titanium ONN-(phenolate) Alkoxide Complexes: Unique Reaction Kinetics for Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Esters” Clara C.Y. Seo, Mayesha Ahmed, Allen G. Oliver, and Christopher B. Durr, Inorganic Chemistry, 60 (24), 2021, 19336 – 19344

“Indium Catalysts for Low Pressure CO₂/Epoxide Ring Opening Copolymerization: Evidence for A Mononuclear Mechanism?” Arnaud Thevenon, Anish Cyriac, Dominic Myers, Andrew J. P. White, Christopher B. Durr, Charlotte K. Williams. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 140(22), 2018, 6893 – 6903.

“TMPMgnBu(L), where L = THF, 2-MeTHF, pyridine and dimethylaminopyridine and TMP = 1,5,9-trimesityldipyrromethene: Reaction with lactide and ε-caprolactone” Vagulejan Balasanthiran, Malcolm H. Chisholm, Kittisak Choojun, Christopher B. Durr, Stanley Jing, and Pasco M. Wambua, Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 841, 2017, 74 - 81.

“(TMP)ZnN(SiMe₃)₂, [(TMP)Zn(µ-OⁱPr)]₂ and (TMP)Zn[OCMe₂C(O)OEt]. Their role in the Ring-Opening of rac-lactide and caprolactone where TMP = 1,5,9 - trimesityldipyrrolemethene” Vagulejan Balasanthiran, Malcolm H. Chisholm, Kittisak Choojun, Christopher B. Durr, and Pasco M. Wambua, Journal of Organometallic Chemistry, 812, 2016, 56 – 65.

“MM Complexes Supported by Vinylbenzoate Ligands:  Synthesis, Characterization, Photophysical Properties and Application as a Synthon” Samantha E. Brown-Xu, Malcolm H. Chisholm, Christopher B. Durr, Thomas F. Spilker and Philip J. Young, Chemical Science, 4, 2015, 1780 – 1791.

“Isomerization Initiated by Photoinduced Ligand Dissociation in Ru(II) Complexes with the Ligand 2-p-tolylpyridinecarboxaldimine” Bryan A. Albani, Christopher B. Durr, Bruno Peña, Kim R. Dunbar, Claudia Turro, Dalton Transactions, 43, 2014, 17828 – 17837.

“On the Molecular Structure and Bonding in a Lithium Bismuth Porphyrin Complex: LiBi(TPP)₂” Vagulejan Balasanthiran, Malcolm H. Chisholm, and Christopher B. Durr, Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 53, 2014, 1594-1597.

“Selective Photoinduced Ligand Exchange in a New Tris-Heteroleptic Ru(II) Complex” Bryan A. Albani, Christopher B. Durr, and Claudia Turro. Journal of Physical Chemistry – A. 117, 2013, 13885-13892.

“Metal-Metal Quadruple Bonds Supported by 5-Ethynylthiophene-2-carboxylato Ligands: Preparation, Molecular and Electronic Structures, Photoexcited State Dynamics, and Application as Molecular Synthons” Samantha E. Brown-Xu, Malcolm H. Chisholm, Christopher B. Durr, and Thomas F. Spilker, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 135 (22), 2013, 8254-8259.

“Coordination of N,N-Chelated Re(CO)₃Cl units across a Mo₂ quadruple bond: Synthesis, characterization, and photophysical properties of a Re-Mo₂-Re triad and its component pieces”  Samantha E. Brown-Xu, Malcolm H. Chisholm, Christopher B. Durr, Terry L. Gustafson and Thomas F. Spilker, The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 117(29),  2013, 5997-6006.

“Electronic Structure and Excited-State Dynamics of the Molecular Triads: trans-M₂(TⁱPB)₂[O₂CC₆H₅-η⁶-Cr(CO)₃]₂, Where M = Mo or W, and TⁱPB = 2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoate” Samantha E. Brown-Xu, Malcolm H. Chisholm, Christopher B. Durr, Terry L. Gustafson, Vesal Naseri and Thomas F. Spilker, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134 (51), 2012, 20820-20826.