Daniel Amarante

Stony Brook University (2011) -- Ph.D. Chemistry (Concentrations: Inorganic Chemistry, Bioinorganic Chemistry and Organometallic Chemistry)

St. John’s University (2004) -- B.S. Chemistry, Minors: Mathematics and Physics

• Research focuses on ruthenium, rhodium and iridium mixed diimine complexes. These complexes have shown to have various applications in such areas as photocleavage of DNA, inhibition of DNA transcription, photochemical reduction of water to hydrogen gas, solar conversion and electrocatalytic reduction of carbon monoxide to methanol. Past published syntheses of transition metal diimine complexes have resulted in low yields, which involved various purification techniques such as chromatography. A new synthetic pathway have been developed to form these mixed diimine complexes at higher yields with little to no additional purification techniques. In addition to the synthetic component, my research involves the use of various instruments such as 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, luminescence studies and cyclic voltammetry.
   
• Currently, the energy infrastructure is dominated by fossil fuel production and combustion. This is causing massive emission of greenhouse gases which are harming the planet. Hydrogen is often suggested as alternative fuel, sometimes called as the “fuel of the future.” This statement has been mentioned for at least a generation, usually with greater seriousness during high petroleum prices. The technology to utilized hydrogen is highly advanced, however it is the scaling up that remains an issue. Hydrogen fuel cells have been designed and used, but because of the high cost and limited availability of platinum group metals this technology has not widespread to the retail market. Scientists have turned to biological systems that utilized hydrogen in order to develop new catalysts that do not require platinum group metals. In nature, hydrogen is consumed/produced with certain efficiency by hydrogenase enzymes. These enzymes are characterized as metalloenzymes which contain iron and/or nickel core.
  The discovery of [Fe(CN)x(CO)y] units in hydrogenase enzymes has prompted the study of iron–cyanide–carbonyl compounds. Recently, compounds of the general structure [FeII,III(CN)4L2]2–,1–, where L = DMSO, CO, pyridine, were synthesized for the first time. This prompted studies of related compounds of the congener elements of iron, specifically using ruthenium and osmium. These studies have produced the first compounds of ruthenium with the general structure, [RuII(CN)4L2]2– where L = CO and pyridine.
  Iron carbonyl complexes with the H2PS2 ligand have been previously used to mimic the iron centers in hydrogenase enzymes. To expand on these studies, ruthenium and osmium was used to replace iron in the general structure [MII(CO)3(PS2)]. Various compounds were also synthesized using Li2NS2 in place of Li2PS2.

CHEM 140/140A – General, Organic and Biochemistry Lecture/Lab

CHEM 160/160A – General Chemistry I Lecture/Lab

CHEM 161/161A – General Chemistry II Lecture/Lab

1. “Synthesis and Electronic Characterization of Mixed Diimine Ligand Rhodium(III) Complexes Using a Versatile Triflate Precursor”; Amarante, D.; Cherian, C.; Megehee, E.G.; Inorg. Chim. Acta., 2017, 461, 239–247.
2. “Synthesis, resolution and anticonvulsant activity of chiral N–1’–ethyl',N–3’'–(1–phenylethyl–(R,S)–2’H,3H,5’H–spiro–(2–benzofuran–1,4’'– imidazolidine)–2’,3,5’'–trione diastereomers”; Sadarangani, I.R.; Bhatia, S.; Amarante, D.; Lengyel, I, Stephani, S.A.; Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2012, 22, 2507 – 2509.
3. “Synthesis and Electronic Characterization of Bipyridine Dithiolate Rhodium(III) Complexes”; Amarante, D.; Cherian, C.; Ovalles, S.; Megehee, E.G.; Inorg. Chem., 2005, 44, 8804 – 8809
4. “Improved synthetic routes to rhodium bipyridine complexes: Comparison of microwave vs. conventional synthesis” Amarante, D.; Cherian, C.; Emmel, C.; Noreen, H.C.; Dayal, S.; Koshy, M.; Megehee, E.G.; Inorg. Chim. Acta. 2005, 358, 2231 – 2238.

Godfrey Excellence in Teaching in the Physical Sciences (2021)

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching “Thank-A-Teacher” (2021)

GAANN Fellowship (2006)