Dr. Mitch Malachowski Office: Center for Science and Technology - 486 Phone: (619) 260-4032 e-mail Address: malachow@sandiego.edu

Academic Background
Bachelor of Science: Rhode Island College

Doctor of Philosophy: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
 

Courses Taught
Chemistry 1: Chemistry and Society
Chemistry 10A: General Chemistry
Chemistry 101AB: Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 102AB: Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Chemistry 121: Advanced Integrated Laboratory Physical/Organic
Chemistry 194: Organic Synthesis
Honors Program: The Century of Genius: From Copernicus to Newton
Honors Program: Science, Philosophy and Social Change
Cluster Preceptorial: The Impact of Science on Society

Biography

Mitch Malachowski is currently Professor of Chemistry at the University of San Diego. He received a B.A. degree in chemistry from Rhode Island College in 1977 and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. After teaching at Gettysburg College for one year, he joined the faculty at USD in 1984. During 1992 he was a visiting professor at Leiden University, the Netherlands. He maintains an active research program involving the bioinorganic chemistry of copper and manganese proteins and has received funding from the Petroleum Research Fund, the Research Corporation and Project SEED grants. During the past eight years, he has worked with 45 research students who have delivered 29 talks at regional and national research conferences. In this time, he has published 23 papers, many of them with undergraduate co-authors. In addition, he has included high school teachers and students in his research as part of his commitment to enhancing pre-college science education.

Malachowski also has a long-standing interest in the history and philosophy of science and science pedagogy. He has published papers on the work of Sir Isaac Newton, the use of models in science, the utility of writing in the sciences, academic advising, and the proper role of research at undergraduate institutions.

Malachowski served as Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at USD from 1989 until he came to his senses in 1994. Included among his responsibilities were the direction of faculty development projects, College-wide grant proposals, the Preceptorial Program, student advising, and the Faculty Research Grants. He strongly believes in faculty development issues including the encouragement of external support for research and the balancing of teaching with research activities. He continually seeks ways to make learning more student centered; included are research opportunities for undergraduates.

He has received several awards including one for teaching excellence from the University of North Carolina, the administrator of the year award at USD, a University Professorship from USD (1996-1997) and the Charles B. Willard award for distinguished career achievement from Rhode Island College.

Research Interests
My greatest professional love is to make new compounds. I thoroughly enjoy going into the laboratory and preparing a compound which has never previously been prepared. This act of creation, whether in the laboratory or in other contexts, seems to me to be one of humankind's innate desires. This adaptation of nature by chemists has been a driving force for many new, and oftentimes improved, aspects of our lives. The creation of new substances in the laboratory continues unabated and has been partly responsible for the 20th century being referred to as the age of technology.

One could engage in this act of creation for the sheer joy of it, however, I prepare my target compounds to have similar properties to those found in the natural world. Nature has found ways to use organic molecules for an incredible array of purposes and it is a great challenge to recreate these activities in the laboratory. The experimental part of chemistry is what makes it so exciting to be a chemist and to do chemistry. To meld theory with a well-devised and executed experiment is tremendously satisfying.

By preparing compounds in the lab based on what is thought to be true about naturally occurring compounds, we can do two things. First, we can learn a great deal about nature in this way as we can study the compounds more easily in the laboratory. Secondly, since nature uses compounds in living systems in ways that we would like to use them in our own endeavors, by taking our cues from nature we can invent ways of transforming compounds in the lab.

I currently am interested in better understanding the relevance of copper, iron, molybdenum and manganese in biological systems. To do so, I am involved in preparing artificial proteins in the laboratory which recreate the properties of the naturally occurring biological molecules. Our recent efforts along these lines involve the use of multidentate ligands with the donor atoms attached to biphenyl rings. These ligands enforce severe geometrical constraints on the metal ions and force them into unusual geometries. We currently are investigating the properties of these compounds and are comparing their properties to those of the biological systems.

Publications (since 1989):

Chemistry:

1. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Mark Adams, Nadia Elia, Arnold Rheingold and Richard Kelly, "Enforcing Geometrical Constraints on Metal Complexes using Biphenyl-based Ligands: Spontaneous Reduction of Copper(II) by Sulfur-Containing Ligands," Journal of the Chemical Society, Dalton Transactions, 2177, 1999

2. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Mark Adams, Brian Becker, Sam Goblirsch and Arnold Rheingold, "Metal Complexes of Biphenyl-based Ligands as Models for Copper-Containing Proteins," Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 74, 221, 1999.

3. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Brian T. Dorsey, Michael J. Parker, Mark E. Adams and Richard S. Kelly, "Probing the Catalytic Properties of Cu(II) Complexes of Appended Cyclams: Correlations between Catalysis and Stability Constants or Electrochemical Properties," Polyhedron, 218, 1289, 1998.

4. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Marilyn G. Davidson, Josephine Carden, Willem L. Driessen, and Jan Reedijk, "The Preparation and Catalytic Properties of Copper(II) Complexes Derived from a Pyrazole Containing Ligand. X-ray Crystal Structure of [Cu(pzmhp)(BF4)](BF4),"Inorganica Chimica Acta, 257, 59, 1997.

5. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Brian Dorsey, Jonathan G. Sackett, Richard S. Kelly, Amy L. Ferko and Ranetta N. Hardin, "Effect of Ligand Donors on the Catalytic Properties of Metal Complexes. Copper(II) Complexes as Catalysts for the Oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol,"Inorganica Chimica Acta, 249, 85, 1996.

6. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Hong B. Huynh, Laura J. Tomlinson, and Richard S. Kelly, "A Comparative Study of the Catalytic Oxidation of Catechols by Cu(II) Complexes of Tripodal Ligands, " Journal of the Chemical Society, Dalton Transactions, 31, 1995.

7. James W. Furbee, Jr., Robin L. Thomas, Richard S. Kelly, and Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Mediated Electrochemical Reduction of Cytochrome c and Tyrosinase at Nafion-Coated Electrodes," Analytical Chemistry, 65, 1654, 1993.

8. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Theresa Ramelot, Ron Ostrom, Daniel Murray, and Larry Volz, "Investigations of Copper and Manganese Complexes as Oxidation Catalysts," Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 51, 341, 1993.

9. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Laura J. Tomlinson, Michael J. Parker, and J. Daniel Davis, "The Design and Synthesis of Novel Dinucleating Macrocycles Derived from Cyclam,"Tetrahedron Letters, 33, 1395, 1992.

10. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Marilyn G. Davidson, and J. Daniel Davis, "The Preparation of Cu(II) Complexes Derived from a Novel Pyrazole Containing Dinucleating Ligand," Inorganica Chimica Acta, 192, 157, 1992.

11. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Josephine Carden, Hong Huynh, Daniel Murray, and Ronald Ostrom, "A Comparative Study of the Catecholase Activity of Related Cu(II) Complexes,"Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 47, 53, 1992.

12. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Marilyn G. Davidson, and J. Daniel Davis, "The Synthesis of Tetrapyrazole Substituted Phenols," Heterocycles., 34, 1227, 1992.

13. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Laura J. Tomlinson, Marilyn G. Davidson, and Mary J. Hall, "Impact of Geometric Changes on the Oxidation of Catechol by Copper(II) Complexes,"Journal of Coordination Chemistry, 25, 171, 1992.

14. Mitchell R. Malachowski and Marilyn G. Davidson, "Novel Mono-and Bi-nuclear Cu(II) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Catecholase Activity," Inorganica Chimica Acta, 162, 199, 1989.

15. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Marilyn G. Davidson, and Mary J. Hall, "The Catalytic Properties of a Series of Related Cu(II) Complexes," Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 36, 330, 1989.

16. Mitchell R. Malachowski, Marilyn G. Davidson, and John N. Hoffman, "Synthesis, Characterization, and Catecholase Activity of Novel Cu(II) Complexes Derived from a Tripodal Ligand," Inorganica Chimica Acta, 157, 91, 1989.

History/Philosophy of Science:

1. Mitchell R. Malachowski and Dennis Rohatyn, "Half Truths: The Whole Story," Responsible Change for the 21st Century, National Institute for Curriculum Development, Enschede, The Netherlands, 308, 1994.

2. Mitchell R. Malachowski and Dennis Rohatyn, "Promethean Pride and the Autonomy of Science: Newton as Maker and Destroyer of Worlds," History of Philosophy Quarterly, 8, 297-316, 1991.

3. Mitchell R. Malachowski and Dennis Rohatyn, "The Century of Genius: Science, Philosophy, and Social Change, 1543-1687," in The Liberal Art of Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, 96, 1990.

Pedagogy:

1. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Promoting Undergraduate Research in Non-Science Areas at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions,"Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 19, 126, 1999.

2. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Not all Research is Equal: Student-Oriented Versus Research-Oriented Approaches to Scholarship,"Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 17, 182, 1997

3. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "The Mentoring Role in Undergraduate Research Projects," Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 17, 91, 1996

4. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Preventing Academic Disqualifications," Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education, Volume 5, No. 2, 1995.

5. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Wanted: Administrators with Scientific Backgrounds," Chemical Education Newsletter, American Chemical Society, Fall, 1995.

6. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Advising Initiatives which Assist in Minimizing Academic Disqualifications," Academic Advising News, 17, 12, 1995.

7. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "Gaining Administrative Support for Undergraduate Research,"Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 13, No. 2, 20, 1992.

8. Mitchell R. Malachowski, "An Interdisciplinary Cluster Approach to Science Courses,"Journal of College Science Teaching, 20, 22-26, 1990.