Rebecca Conry

Rebecca received her B.S. in Chemistry from Eastern Washington University and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Washington. After an NIH postdoctoral at Johns Hopkins University, she spent seven years as a faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno. Prof. Conry joined the Colby faculty in 2000 and teaches Inorganic, Inorganic Synthetic Laboratory, Symmetry and Spectroscopy, and General Chemistry courses. Prof. Conry has an established research program in bioinorganic and organometallic transition-metal chemistry. Research students under her direction extend their knowledge and capabilities in organic and inorganic synthesis including air-sensitive manipulations as well as a number of characterizational techniques. Students conducting these research projects synthesize new compounds that have the potential to be catalysts and/or to further our understanding of metal sites similar to those found in biological systems. Prof. Conry was instrumental in bringing a CCD single-crystal X-ray diffraction system to the Chemistry Department. Click here for more information on Prof. Conry.

Education

Postdoctoral (1991-1992) and NIH Postdoctoral Fellow (1992-1993), Johns Hopkins University (with Prof. Kenneth D. Karlin)
Ph.D. (1991), University of Washington (with Prof. James M. Mayer)
B.S. (1986), Eastern Washington University

Areas of Expertise

• Inorganic chemistry
• Synthetic and structural bioinorganic and organometallic chemistry

Personal Information

• Associate Professor of Chemistry (2004-present), Colby College
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry (2000-2004), Colby College
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry (1993-2000), University of Nevada, Reno

Publications

• "Copper Complexes with N-Alkylated NS2-Macrocyclic Ligands: Synthesis, Characterization, and Capabilities as Aziridination Catalysts" R. R. Conry,* A. A. Tipton, W. S. Striejewske, E. Erkizia, M. A. Malwitz, A. Caffaratti, and J. Natkin (Colby '01) Organometallics, 2004, 23, 5210-5218
• "A mononuclear Mo(V) mono-oxo, biphenyl-2,2'-dithiolate complex in which the metal resides within a cleft formed by the ligands and that exhibits N-H to S hydrogen bonding in the solid state" R. R. Conry* and A. A. Tipton JBIC, 2001, 6, 359-366.
• "Electronic Structure Studies of Oxomolybdenum Tetrathiolate Complexes: Origin of Reduction Potential Differences and Relationship to Cysteine-Molybdenum Bonding in Pyranopterin Molybdenum Enzymes" R. L. McNaughton, A. A. Tipton, N. D. Rubie, R. R. Conry,* and M. L. Kirk* Inorg. Chem., 2000, 39, 5697-5706.
• "Synthesis and Characterization of Square Planar Nickel(II) Arylthiolate Complexes with the Biphenyl-2-,2'-dithiolate Ligand" E. Erkizia and R. R. Conry* Inorg. Chem., 2000, 39, 1674-1679.
• "Copper(I) Complexes with a NS2-Macrocyclic Ligand Bearing a Pendant Naphthyl Group: Structures of {N-[2-(1-Naphthyl)ethyl]-1-aza-4,8-dithiacyclodecane}Cu(I)-Ligand, where Ligand = eta2-Naphthalene, Acetonitrile or Triphenylphosphine" R. R. Conry,* W. S. Striejewske, and A. A. Tipton Inorg. Chem., 1999, 38, 2833-2843.
• "Synthesis and Characterization of Copper(I) Complexes with a Fairly Bulky Tris(pyrazolyl)hydroborate Ligand. Probing the Flexibility of the Metal-Containing Pocket Formed by the Ligand" R. R. Conry,* G. Ji, and A. A. Tipton Inorg. Chem., 1999, 38, 906-913.
• "Synthesis and Characterization of the First Pentaphenylcyclopentadienyl Copper(I) Complex, (Ph5Cp)Cu(PPh3)" Q. T. Anderson, E. Erkizia, and R. R. Conry* Organometallics, 1998, 17, 4917-4920.
• "NMR Evidence for the Unprecedented Binding of a Naphthalene Group to Copper(I) in Solution" R. R. Conry* and W. S. Striejewske Organometallics, 1998, 17, 3146-3148.
• "Synthesis of Copper(I) Complexes with a Novel Naphthyl-Appended Macrocyclic Ligand, Including the Crystal and Molecular Structure of the First Copper(I)-eta2-Naphthyl Complex" W. S. Striejewske and R. R. Conry* Chem. Commun., 1998, 555-556.

Learn about the Small-Molecule X-ray Diffraction Center at Colby College