VITA

Joseph W. Wilson

Current Position

  • Professor, Emeritus

Business Address

  • Department of Chemistry
  • University of Kentucky
  • Lexington, KY 40506-0055
  • (859) 266-0121 (home)
  • E-Mail: jwilson@uky.edu
  • Fax: (859) 323-1069

Personal

  • Born, April 11, 1934, Massena, New York

Education

  • B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1956
  • Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 1961
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Wisconsin,1961-63

Professional Experience

  • Teaching Assistant, Indiana University, 1956-58
  • Research Assistant, Indiana University, 1958-61
  • Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, 1963-69
  • Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, 1969-99
  • Professor, University of Kentucky, 1999
  • Director of Graduate Studies, 1981-1985
  • Acting Chairman, 1983
  • Director of Undergraduate Studies, 1992-99
  • Director of General Chemistry, 1995-99

Honors

  • Sigma Xi
  • Phi Lambda Upsilon
  • University of Kentucky Alumni Association "Great Teacher Award", 1975
  • College of Arts and Sciences "Outstanding Teachers Award Prize", 1992-93
  • College of Arts and Sciences Commencement, 1997 (selected by graduating seniors as one of the Top 10 Professors "who made the biggest contributions to my undergraduate education.")

Courses Taught

  • CHE 101: Chemistry: A Cultural Approach
  • CHE 102R: Preparation for General Chemistry
  • CHE 104: Introductory General Chemistry
  • CHE 105, 107: General Chemistry I, II
  • CHE 108: Elementary General Chemistry
  • CHE 195, 197: General Chemistry Workshop I, II
  • CHE 230, 232: Organic Chemistry I, II
  • CHE 231, 233: Organic Chemistry Laboratory I, II
  • CHE 236: Survey of Organic Chemistry
  • CHE 295, 297:  Organic Workshop I, II
  • CHE 395: Independent Work in Chemistry
  • CHE 532: Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds
  • CHE 533: Qualitative Organic Analysis Laboratory
  • CHE 538: Principles of Organic Chemistry
  • CHE 572: Undergraduate Seminar
  • CHE 633, 635: Advanced Organic Chemistry I, II
  • CHE 736: Topics in Organic Chemistry
  • CHE 776: Graduate Organic Seminar
  • UK 101: Academic Orientation

Research Publications

  1. W. A. Remers, F. D. Greene and J. W. Wilson, "Stereospecificity in Brominations of Bibenzyl and Acenaphthene with N-Bromosuccinimide," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 79, 1416 (1957).
  2. V. J. Shiner, Jr. and J. W. Wilson, "The Mechanisms of Substitution of Propargylic Halides. 3-Bromo-3-methyl-1-butyne," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 84, 2402 (1962).
  3. V. J. Shiner, Jr., J. W. Wilson, G. Heinemann and N. Solliday, "The Effects of Deuterium Substitution of the Rates of Organic Reactions. VII. Secondary Effects on the Solvolysis of 3-Halo-3-methyl-1-butynes," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 84, 2408 (1962).
  4. H. E. Zimmerman, B. R. Cowley, C. Y. Tseng and J. W. Wilson, "A General Theory of Photochemical Reactions. VII. Mechanisms of Epoxy Ketone Reactions," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 86, 947 (1964).
  5. H. E. Zimmerman and J. W. Wilson, "Mechanistic and Exploratory Organic Photochemistry. IX. Phenyl Migration in the Irradiation of 4,4-Diphenylcyclohexenone," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 86, 4036 (1964).
  6. J. W. Wilson and S. A. Sherrod, "A Novel Thermal Rearrangement of a Propargyl Vinyl Carbinol," Chem. Commun., 143 (1968).
  7. J. W. Wilson and V. S. Stubblefield, "The Photochemistry of Acetylenic Compounds. The Photochemical Reduction of Some Conjugated Acetylenic Carbonyl Compounds," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 90, 3423 (1968).
  8. J. W. Wilson, "The Solvolysis of a Homopropargyl Compound, 3,3-Dimethyl-3-pentyn-1-yl Tosylate," Tetrahedron Lett., 2561 (1968).
  9. J. W. Wilson and K. L. Huhtanen, "The Photochemistry of Acetylenic Compounds: Methyl 4,4,4-Triphenylbut-2-ynoate," Chem. Commun., 454 (1968).
  10. J. W. Wilson, "Anchimeric Assistance, Rearrangement and Solvent Addition in the Formolysis of a Non-Conjugated Acetylenic (Homopropargylic) Tosylate," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 91, 3238 (1969).
  11. W. A. Pettit and J. W. Wilson, "Substituent Effects on a Sigmatropic Reaction. Rearrangement of Some 3-Substituted-1,1-diphenylindenes," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 99, 6372 (1977).
  12. C. L. Leach, Jr. and J. W. Wilson, "Preparation and Photochemistry of Methyl 3,3,4-Triphenyl-3H-pyrazole-5-carboxylate," J. Org. Chem., 43, 4880 (1978).
  13. V. S. Stubblefield and J. W. Wilson, "Carbon vs. Oxygen Abstraction in the Photochemical Reduction of an Acetylenic Ester," J. Org. Chem., 44, 193 (1979).
  14. G. Vaidyanathan and J. W. Wilson, "Decarboxylation of 1-Aminocyclo-propanecarboxylic Acid and Its Derivatives," J. Org. Chem., 54, 1810 (1989).
  15. G. Vaidyanathan and J. W. Wilson, "Reaction of Cyclopropanamines with Hypochlorite," J. Org. Chem., 54, 1815 (1989).
  16. J. W. Wilson, "Writing to Learn in a Course in Organic Chemistry," J. Chem. Educ., 71, 1019-1020 (1994).

Papers Presented at Professional Meetings

  1. "Thermal Isomerization of a Propargyl Vinyl Carbinol," J. W. Wilson and S. A. Sherrod, September 10-15, 1976, Abstracts of Papers, 154th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Chicago, IL, S146.
  2. "Photochemistry of Some Conjugated Acetylenic Carbonyl Compounds," J. W. Wilson, K. L. Huhtanen and V. S. Stubblefield, March 31 - April 15, 1968, Abstracts of Papers, 155th National Meeting of the A.C.S., San Francisco, CA, P198.
  3. "Anchimeric Assistance in the Formolysis of a Non-Conjugated Acetylenic Tosylate," J. W. Wilson, December, 1968, Regional Meeting of the A.C.S., Tallahassee, FL.
  4. "Substituent Effects on a Sigmatropic Reaction. The Rearrangement of Some 3-Substituted-1,1-diphenylindenes," J. W. Wilson and W. A. Pettit, September 8-13, 1974, Abstracts of Papers, 168th National Meeting of the A.C.S., Atlantic City, NJ, ORG111.
  5. "The Oxidative Decarboxylation of 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic Acid and Its Derivatives," Ganesan Vaidyanathan and J. W. Wilson, November 3-5, 1986, Regional Meeting of the A.C.S., Louisville, KY.
  6. "The Oxidative Decarboxylation of 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic Acid and Its Derivatives," Ganesan Vaidyanathan and J. W. Wilson, November 20-22, 1986, Kentucky Academy of Sciences Meeting, Lexington, KY.
  7. "A Comparison of Traditional Recitations and Workshops Led by Graduate or Undergraduate Students," J. W. Wilson, August 9-13, 1998, Paper #594, 15th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, University of Waterloo, CANADA.
  8. "Systemic Changes in the Chemistry Curriculum: A Project to Adapt and Adopt Workshop Chemistry," M. Cracolice, M. Adamczeski, J. Reed and J. W. Wilson, August 9-13, 1998, Paper #99, 15th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, University of Waterloo, CANADA.
  9. "Implementation of Peer Led Team Learning at a Large State University. A Case Study," J. W. Wilson, July 30-August 3, 2000, Paper #132, 16th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
  10. "ChemExcel at U.K. The First Six Years," J. W. Wilson, April 7, 2001, MathExcel Celebration Program, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.

M.S. Theses Directed

  • Belgin Danisman, "Preparation and Reaction of 1-Substituted-1-Ethynyltetraphenylcyclopentadiene in Base," May, 1967.
  • Larry W. Ashby, "Photochemistry of Methyl 4,4-Dimethyl-2-pentynoate," August, 1971.
  • Chester L. Leach, "The Reaction of Diphenyldiazomethane and Methyl Phenylpropiolate," August, 1977.
  • Jane G. Eldred, "The Mechanism of the Photochemical Reaction of Methyl 4,4,4-Triphenyl-2-butynoate," 1979.

Ph.D. Dissertations Directed

  • Vernon S. Stubblefield, "The Photoreduction of Methyl 4,4-Dimethyl-2-pentynoate," 1970.
  • Kurt L. Huhtanen, "An Investigation of the Photochemistry of 4,4,4-Triphenyl-2- butynoate," 1970.
  • William A. Pettit, "Photochemically-Induced Sigmatropic Processes in 3-Substituted 1,1-Diphenylindenes," 1972.
  • Ganesan Vaidyanathan, "The Chemistry of 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic Acid and Its Analogues," 1987.

Offices Held in Professional Societies

  • Chairman Elect, ACS Lexington Section, 1974
  • Chairman, ACS Lexington Section, 1975-76
  • Secretary-Treasurer, ACS Lexington Section, 1977-81
  • Finance Chairman, ACS, S. E. Regional Meeting, 1980-81
  • Secretary, Kentucky Academy of Science, 1998
  • Executive Committee, Kentucky Academy of Science, 1998