Christian R. Goldsmith headshot
Christian R. Goldsmith
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
J. Milton Harris Professor and Undergraduate Program Officer (UPO)

Research Areas: Inorganic

Office: 371 Chemistry Building

Address: 179 Chemistry Building
Auburn, AL 36849

Phone: (334) 844-6463

Fax: (334) 844-6959

Email: crgoldsmith@auburn.edu

Curriculum vitae

Research Page


Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NIH Postdoctoral Fellow
2004 - 2007
Ph.D., Stanford University
2004
A.B., Harvard University
1998


Professional Employment
Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University
2021 - present
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University
2013 - 2021
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University
2007 - 2013
Post-doctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2004 - 2007
Graduate Research Assistant
1998 - 2003


Honors and Awards
COSAM Young Faculty Scholar Award
2023
Outstanding COSAM Advisor Award
2018
National Institutes of Health Post-doctoral Fellowship
2004
Franklin Veatch Memorial Fellowship
2003
Stanford Graduate Fellowship
1998


Professional Activities
Member: American Chemical Society, 1998- present
Secretary for Auburn Local Section, 2012- 2014
Councilor for Auburn Local Section, 2016- present


Research and Teaching Interests

My research features a great deal of synthetic inorganic chemistry, but my lab’s work draws heavily from the fields of organic chemistry and biochemistry. My research group is developing small molecule sensors for reactive oxygen species and homogeneous catalysts for the oxidation of hydrocarbons and the degradation of superoxide.

Small Molecule Sensors for Reactive Oxygen Species:

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in a huge number of health conditions, including numerous inflammatory, cardiovascular, and neurological pathologies (e.g. Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases). The ability to monitor aberrant oxidative activity within living subjects would be a tremendous boon for medicine, with the potential to improve both diagnostic and treatment options for the associated diseases. 

Recent work from my lab has produced a series of redox-active contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Activation by hydrogen peroxide, the most prevalent ROS in biology, enhances the contrast. We are currently exploring mononuclear manganese(II) and iron(II) complexes with redox-active ligands as sensors. Upon oxidation, the relaxivity of the compound increases, providing a signal that can be detected and quantified by MRI.  

Catalysts for Reactive Oxygen Species Degradation

Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are enzymes that catalyze the degradation of superoxide, another ROS. Small molecule mimics of SODs can potentially be used to treat the many health conditions associated with oxidative stress.

The manganese(II) complexes that were developed for hydrogen peroxide sensing have been found to catalytically degrade superoxide and/or hydrogen peroxide. The redox-active ligands are responsible for much of this activity, and we have found that we can substitute other metals for the manganese to prepare SOD and catalase mimics with similar, or even improved, activity.

Electrocatalysts for Dioxygen Reduction

Metal-air and hydrogen batteries have the potential to ease society's reliance on fossil fuels, but these devices need further refinement if they are to see widespread use. The catalysts used at the cathodes to reduce dioxygen to water are currently both expensive and inefficient.

We have recently reported electrocatalysts for dioxygen reduction that consist of first-row transition metals (iron, cobalt) complexed to redox-active ligands. The redox activity of the ligands improves the rate and product selectivity for dioxygen reduction while keeping the effective overpotential low.


Selected Publications

 

 
  • Obisesan, S. V.; Parvin, M.; Tao, M.; Ramos, E.; Saunders, A. C.; Farnum, B. H.; Goldsmith, C. R. “Installing Quinol Proton/Electron Mediators onto Non-Heme Iron Complexes Enables them to Electrocatalytically Reduce O2 to H2O at High Rates and Low Overpotentials,” Inorg. Chem. 2024, 63, 14126-14141.
  • Miliordos, E.; Moore, J. L.; Obisesan, S. V.; Oppelt, J.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. R. “Computational Analysis of the Superoxide Dismutase Mimicry Exhibited by a Zinc(II) Complex with a Redox-Active Organic Ligand,” J. Phys. Chem. A 2024, 128, 1491-1500.
  • Karbalaei, S.; Franke, A.; Oppelt, J.; Aziz, T.; Jordan, A.; Pokkuluri, P. R.; Schwartz, D. D.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. R. “A Macrocyclic Quinol-Containing Ligand Enables High Catalase Activity even with a Redox-Inactive Metal at the Expense of the Ability to Mimic Superoxide Dismutase,” Chem. Sci. 2023, 14, 9910-9922.
  • Obisesan, S. V.; Rose, C.; Farnum, B. H.; Goldsmith, C. R. “A Co(II) Complex with a Covalently Attached Pendent Quinol Selectively Reduces O2 to H2O.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 22826-22830.
  • Moore, J. L.; Oppelt, J.; Senft, L.; Franke, A.; Scheitler, A.; Dukes, M. W.; Alix, H. B.; Saunders, A. C; Karbalaei, S.; Schwartz, D. D.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. R. “Diquinol Functionality Boosts the Superoxide Dismutase Mimicry of a Zn(II) Complex with a Redox-Active Ligand while Maintaining Catalyst Stability and Enhanced Activity in Phosphate Solution.” Inorg. Chem. 2022, 61, 19983-19997.
  • Karbalaei, S.; Franke, A.; Jordan, A; Rose, C.; Pokkuluri, P. R.; Beyers, R. J.; Zahl, A.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. R. “A Highly Water- and Air-Stable Iron-Containing MRI Contrast Agent Sensor for H2O2.” Chem. Eur. J. 2022, 28, e202201179.
  • Senft, L.; Moore, J. L.; Franke, A.; Fisher, K. R.; Scheitler, A.; Zahl, A.; Puchta, R.; Fehn, D.; Ison, S.; Sader, S.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. R. “Quinol-Containing Ligands Enable High Superoxide Dismutase Activity by Modulating Coordination Number, Charge, Oxidation States and Stability of Manganese Complexes through Redox Cycling.” Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 10483-10500.
  • Karbalaei, S.; Knecht, E.; Franke, A.; Zahl, A.; Saunders, A. C.; Pokkuluri, P. R.; Beyers, R. J.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. R. “A Macrocyclic Ligand Framework Improves Both the Stability and T1-Weighted MRI Response of Quinol-Containing H2O2 Sensors.” Inorg. Chem. 2021, 60, 8368-8379. (featured article)






Last updated: 10/15/2024