Eric Simanek
Professor of Chemistry

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Physics Building, Room 210
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-3255

Email: simanek@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845-4242
Fax: 979-845-9452

Departmental Website
Simanek Research Group

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS

Polymer (dendrimer) chemistry aimed at environmental remediation and drug delivery.

EDUCATION


• Ph.D., Chemistry (8/91-8/96): Harvard University with Dr. George M. Whitesides
Research: Molecular recognition; materials science

• B.S., Chemistry (8/87-8/91): University of Illinois with Dr. Kenneth L. Rinehart, Jr.
Research: Bioactivity of marine natural products

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Post-doctoral Work (8/96-5/98): Scripps Research Institute with Dr. Chi-Huey Wong
Research: Glycopeptide synthesis and conformation; anti-inflammatories

PUBLICATIONS

From Texas A&M: 1. Design, Synthesis, Characterization, and Evaluation of the Stability of Multivalent Dendrimers Based on Melamine. Kinetics of DTT-Mediated Thiol-Disulfide Exchange Depend on the Structure of the Dendrimer. Zhang, W.; Tichy, S.E.; Thomson, L.; Maria, G.; Lindahl, P.; Simanek, E.E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, Submitted. 2. Engineered Organo-Clay Materials for the Sequestration of Atrazine and Other Common Herbicides. Acosta, E.J.; Deng, Y.; Tichy, S.E.; White, G.N.; Dixon, J.B.; McInnes, K.; Senseman, S.A.; Simanek, E.E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002 Submitted. 3. Synthesis and Characterization of DNA-Dendrimer Conjugates. Bell, S.A.; McLean, M.E.; Oh, S.-K.; Tichy, S.E.; Corn, R.M.; Crooks, R.M.; Simanek, E.E. Bioconj. J. 2002 Submitted. 4. Structure Activity Relationships in Dendrimers Based on Triazines: Gelation Depends on Choice of Linking and Surface Groups. Zhang, W.; Gonzalez, S.O.; Simanek, E.E.. Macromolecules 2002, In Press. 5. Dendrimers. Branching Out of Polymer Chemistry. Gonzalez, S.O.; Simanek, E.E. J. Chem. Ed. 2002, In Press. 6. Orthogonal, Convergent Syntheses of Dendrimers Based on Melamine with One or Two Surface Sites for Manipulation. Zhang, W.; Nowlan, D.T.III; Thomson, L.M.; Lackowski, W.M.; Simanek, E.E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 8914-8922. 7. Synthesis and Characterization of Higher Generation Dendrons Based on p-Aminobenzylamine. Evidence for Molecular Recognition of Cu(II). Zhang, W.; Simanek, E.E.; Tetrahedron Lett. 2001, 42, 5355-5357. 8. Carbohydrate Libraries in Solution Using Thioglycosides. From Multistep to Programmable, Orthogonal, One-pot Synthesis. Simanek, E.E.; Wong, C.-H. in Solid Support Oligosaccharide Synthesis and Combinatorial Carbohydrate Libraries. Ed. Peter Seeberger. Wiley and Sons. NY, NY. 9. Creating Addressable Aqueous Microcompartments above Solid Supported Phospholipid Bilayers Using Lithographically Patterned Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Molds. Yang, T.; Simanek, E.E.; Cremer, P. Anal. Chem. 2000, 72, 2587. 10. Dendrimers Based on Melamine. Divergent and Orthogonal, Convergent Syntheses of a G3 Dendrimer. Zhang, W.; Simanek, E.E. Org. Lett. 2000, 843. From Post-doctoral Studies with Dr. Chi-Huey Wong: 11. Glycosylation of the Heptad Repeat of RNA Pol II Induces a Turn-Like Structure Simanek, E.E.; Pasternak, L.; Huang, D.H.; Machajewski, T.D.; Seitz, O.; Millar, D.M.; Dyson, H.D.; Wong, C.-H. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 11567. 12. Enzymatic Synthesis of a Gelator of Organic Solvent with Remarkably Low Molecular Weight Vassilev, V.; Simanek, E.E.; Wood, M.R.; Wong, C.-H. Chem. Commun. 1998, 1865. Selectin-Carbohydrate Interactions: From Natural Ligands to Designed Mimics. Simanek, E.E.; McGarvey, G.J.; Jablonowski, J.A.; Wong, C.-H. 1998,98, 833. From Graduate Studies with Dr. George M. Whitesides: 13. Self-Assembly of Hydrogen-Bonded Polymeric Rods Based on the Cyanuric Acid·Melamine Lattice Choi, I. S.; Li, X.; Simanek, E. E.; Akaba, R.; Whitesides, G. M. Chem. Mat. 1999; 11; 684. 14. Treating Electrostatic Shielding at the Surface of Silica as Discrete Siloxide•Cation Interactions: A Model for Electroosmosis that is Predictive Over a Wide Range of Concentrations. Mammen, M.; Carbeck, J.D.; Simanek, E.E.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 3469. 15. Benzimidazolene-2-thiones: A New Class of Molecules for Engineering the Organic Solid State. Simanek, E.E.; Tsoi, A.; Wang, C.C.C.; Whitesides, G.M.; Palmore, G.T.R.; McBride, M. Chem. Mater. 1997, 9, 1954. 16. Self-Assembly of Zinc Porphyrins Around the Periphery of Hydrogen-bonded Aggregates that Bear Imidazole groups. Simanek, E.E.; Isaacs, L.; Li, X.; Wang, C.C.C.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 8994. 17. Computations and 1H NMR Spectroscopy Chemistry Provide a Useful Method for the Characterization of Large Aggregates Based on CA•M. Chin, D.N.; Simanek, E.E.; Li, X.; Wazeer, M.I.M.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Org. Chem. 1997,62, 1891. 18. Diastereomers of the Hydrogen-Bonded Aggregate Hub(M)3•3CA can be Observed Using 1H NMR Spectroscopy when CA is an Optically-active Isocyanuric Acid. Simanek, E.E.; Choi, I.S.; Qiao, S.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Org Chem. 1997, 62, 2619. 19. Design of Organic Structures in the Solid State: Molecular Tapes Based on Symmetrically Substituted Diketopiperazines. Palacin, S.; Chin, D. N.; Simanek, E.E.; MacDonald, J.C.; Palmore, G.T.R.; McBride; M.T.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 11807. 20. The Isocyanuric Acid•Melamine Lattice. A Platform for the Construction of Soluble Aggregates and Crystalline Materials. Simanek, E.E.; Li, X.; Choi, I.S.; Whitesides, G.M. Comprehensive Chemistry. Comprehensive Chemistry, Elsevier Science Ltd: Tarrytown, NY. 1996, pp 595-621. 21. Predicting the Relative Stabilities of Multi-particle Hydrogen-bonded Aggregates Using the Number of Hydrogen Bonds and the Number of Particles, and Measuring these Stabilities with Titrations using Dimethylsulfoxide. Mammen, M.; Simanek, E.E.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 12614. 22. Characterization of Hydrogen-bonded Aggregates in Chloroform by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Cheng, X.; Gao, Q.; Smith, R. D.; Simanek, E.E.; Mammen, M.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Org. Chem. 1996,61, 2204. 23. Noncovalent Synthesis: Using Physical Organic Chemistry to Make Aggregates . Whitesides, G.M.; Simanek, E.E.; Mathias, J.P.; Seto, C.T.; Chin, D.; Mammen, M.; Gordon, D.M. Acc. Chem. Res. 1995, 28, 37-44. 24. Detection of Hydrogen-bonded Supramolecular Complexes Using Electrospray Ionization from Chloroform. Cheng, X.; Gao, Q.; Smith, R. D.; Simanek, E.E.; Mammen, M.; Whitesides, G.M. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 1995, 9, 312-316. 25. Design and Synthesis of Hydrogen-bonded Aggregates. Theory and Computation Applied to Three Systems Based on the Cyanuric Acid-Melamine Lattice. Simanek, E.E.; Mammen, M.; Gordon, D.M.; Chin, D.; Mathias, J.P.; Seto, C.T.; Whitesides, G.M. Tetrahedron 1995, 51, 607-619. 26. Approaches to Synthesis Based on Non-covalent Bonds. Whitesides, G M.; Simanek, E.E.; Gorman, C. B. NATO Advanced Institute on Chemical Synthesis: Gnosis to Prognosis. 1994, American Chemical Society: Washington, DC. 27. 1H NMR Spectroscopy of the Hydrogen-bonded Imide Groups of Hub(M)3:3CA Provides a Useful Method for the Characterization of these Aggregates. Simanek, E.E.; Wazeer, M.I.M.; Mathias, J.P.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Org. Chem. 1994, 59, 4904-4909. 28. Self-Assembly Though Hydrogen-Bonding. Peripheral Crowding-- A New Strategy for the Preparation of Stable Supramolecular Aggregates Based on Parallel, Connected CA3•M3 Rosettes. Mathias, J.P.; Simanek, E.E.; Seto, C.T.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1994, 116, 4326-4340. 29. Structural Preferences of Hydrogen Bonding Networks in Organic Solution-- The Cyclic CA3•M3 ‘Rosette.’ Mathias, J.P.; Simanek, E.E.; Zerkowski, J.A.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1994, 116, 4316-4325. 30. Self-Assembly Through Hydrogen-Bonding: Preparation and Characterization of Three New Types of Supramolecular Aggregates Based on Parallel, Cyclic CA3•M3 ‘Rosettes.’ Mathias, J.P.; Seto, C.T.; Simanek, E.E.; Whitesides, G.M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 1725-1736. 31. Design, Preparation, and Characterization of Hydrogen Bonded Supramolecular Aggregates Based on the Cyanuric Acid•Melamine Lattice. Mathias, J.P.; Simanek, E.E.; Seto, C.T.; Whitesides, G.M. Macromol. Symp. 1994, 77, 157-166. 32. Self-Assembly Through Hydrogen Bonding: Preparation of a Supramolecular Aggregate Composed of 10 Molecules. Mathias, J.P.; Simanek, E.E.; Seto, C.T.; Whitesides, G.M. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Eng. 1993, 32, 1766-1769.

PATENTS

Spatially Addressed Lipid Bilayer Arrays and Lipid Bilayers with Addressable Combined Aqueous Compartments. Inventors: Paul S. Cremer, Eric E. Simanek, and Tinglu Yang. Filed 18 September 2000.