Gordon G. Brown, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics and Sciences. Coker faculty member since 2007. B.S. College of William and Mary, 1993;  Ph.D. University of Virginia, 2007.

Office:  Science Building 203
Office hours:  Tues. 1-2, Wed. 1-2, or by appointment
Phone:  843-383-8089 
Email:   gbrown@coker.edu

Courses (Spring 2010):  see course folders and schedule  
Physics II (PHY 202/202L/204/204L)
Physical Chemistry II (CHE 382/382L)
Research in Chemistry (CHE 490)

Research Interests:
My research background is in microwave (MW) spectroscopy.  In this research, it is possible to learn amazing amounts of information about molecules by how they interact with microwave radiation.  We cannot see the molecules, but we can find out accurate and precise information regarding their shape, including bond lengths and bond angles.


Coker College students are currently in the process of building a one-of-a-kind Fourier transform microwave spectrometer.  This spectrometer uses modern, high-tech equipment to generate broadband microwave pulses and detectors.  No one sells MW spectrometers; we will build our own.

Once built, the microwave spectrometer will be applied to the structures of biologically and environmentally important molecular systems.

• We will study the precise structures of the “keys” (substrates) and “locks” (active sites) of biology.  By studying the precise structures of biological keys, such as neurotransmitters, drugs, and peptides, we can learn information about the shape of the biological “locks”, such as active protein sites and biological receptors.

• We will study the attractive interactions of carbon dioxide and a several organic molecules.  This will lend insight into the intermolecular forces between the CO2 and the binding molecule.  This insight will be valuable for designing effective materials for carbon trapping, which is the process of storing carbon dioxide so that it is not released as a greenhouse gas.

In related research, I have used funding from the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) student-faculty research program to purchase a quad-core processor and sophisticated software to perform quantum chemical calculations.  These calculations are used to predict, interpret, and analyze the organic chemistry experiments performed by students in Dr. Chopade's research program.

Recent Publications:
Gordon G. Brown, Brian C. Dian, Kevin O. Douglass, Scott M. Geyer, Steven T. Shipman, and Brooks H. Pate, “A Broadband Fourier Transform Microwave Spectrometer Based on Chirped-Pulse Excitation,” Rev. Sci. Instrum.  79, 053103 (2008).
 
Brian C. Dian, Gordon G. Brown, Kevin O. Douglass, and Brooks H. Pate, “Measuring Picosecond Isomerization Kinetics Using Broadband Microwave Spectroscopy,” Science.  320, 924-928  (2008).
 
Gordon G. Brown, Brian C. Dian, Kevin O. Douglass, Scott M. Geyer, and Brooks H. Pate, “The Rotational Spectrum of Epifluorohydrin Measured by Chirped-Pulse Fourier Transform Microwave Spectroscopy,” J. Mol. Spectr. 238, 200-212 (2006).
 
Brian C. Dian, Gordon G. Brown, Kevin O. Douglass, Francis S. Rees, James E. Johns, Pradeep Nair, Richard D. Suenram, and Brooks H. Pate, “Conformational Isomerization Kinetics of Pent-1-en-4-yne with 3330 cm-1 of Internal Energy Measured by Dynamic Rotational Spectroscopy,” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 105, 12696-12700  (2008).
 
Kevin O. Douglass, James E. Johns, Pradeep M. Nair, Gordon G. Brown, Frances S. Rees, and Brooks H. Pate, “Applications of Fourier Transform Microwave (FTMW) Detected Infrared – Microwave Double-Resonance Spectroscopy to Problems in Vibrational Dynamics,” J. Mol. Spectr. 239, 29-40 (2006).
 
Kevin O. Douglass, Brian C. Dian, Gordon G. Brown, James E. Johns, Pradeep M. Nair, and Brooks H. Pate, “Motional narrowing of the rotational spectrum of trifluoropropyne at 6550 cm-1 by intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution,” J. Chem. Phys. 121, 6845-6854 (2004).