John P. Richard

Education & Positions | Research Interests | Professional Activities & Honors

:: Education

• B.S., Biochemistry, Ohio State University, 1974
• Ph.D., Chemistry, Ohio State University, 1979

Professional Experience

• Wright Patterson Air Force Base Polymer Lab, Technician, 1971-1972
• Postdoctoral Fellow (with William P. Jencks), Graduate Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, 1979-1982
• Research Associate (with Irwin Rose), Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, 1982-1984
• Herchel Smith Fellow in Organic Chemistry, University Chemical Laboratory, Cambridge University, United Kingdom, 1984-1985
• Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, 1985-1990
• Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, 1990-1993
• Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, SUNY, 1993-1995
• Professor, Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, SUNY, 1995-present.

:: Current Research Interests

Mechanisms for Enzyme-Catalyzed and Nonenzymatic Reactions of Small Molecules in Solution

• Physical Organic Chemistry
• Bioorganic Chemistry
• Mechanistic Enzymology

Mechanism for Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions

• Structure-reactivity effects on nucleophilic addition reactions to unstable carbocations
• Marcus intrinsic barriers to the formation and reaction of carbocations
• General base catalysis of carbocation capture by hydroxylic solvents
• Reactivity of carbocation-anion pairs in water

Mechanisms for Reactions of Simple Quinone Methides

Mechanisms for Aldol Condensation Reactions

Proton Transfer Reactions at Carbon

• Models for enzyme-catalyzed deprotonation at carbon
• Mechanism for metal ion catalysis of proton transfer
• Formation and stability of enolates of esters, thiolesters, and a-amino acid derivatives
• Origin and nature of the Marcus intrinsic barrier to proton transfer reactions at carbon

Mechanism for Hydride Transfer at Carbon

Mechanisms for Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions

• β-Galactosidase
• Triosephosphate Isomerase
• Isopentenylpyrophosphate isomerase

:: Professional Activities

• Member of the American Chemical Society
• Member of FASEB
• Ad Hoc Member of Physical Biochemistry NIH Study Section: February 1997, February 2001, October 2001
• Member of the Editorial Board of Bioorganic Chemistry, 1998-present
• Member of Editorial Board of the Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry 2004-2009
• Co-editor of Annual Reports on the Progress of Chemistry: Organic Chemistry, 1996- 2002
• Co-editor of Advances in Physical Organic Chemistry, 2000-present
• Section Editor, Mechanisms, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 2003
• Guest Editor, Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry, 2004
• Secretary, Division of Biological Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 2003-2005

:: Honors

• Herchel Smith Fellowship, Cambridge University, United Kingdom, 1984-1985
• Walton Visitor, University College, Dublin, 2003
• Top 100 Federal Grant Recipients, UB
• UB Award for Sustained Achievement, 2003
• Visiting Professor of Chemistry, Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Santiago

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