Department of Chemistry : Faculty

Jon R. Kirchhoff
Professor
Email: jkirchh@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Office: WO 2265
Phone: (419) 530-1515
Fax: (419) 530-4033

Professional Background:
B.A. 1979 State University of New York at Cortland
Ph.D. 1985 Purdue University
Postdoctoral Fellow: 1985-1989 University of Cincinnati
Curriculum Vitae

Publications
Group members
Group picture

Research Synopsis:
Research in my group revolves around the general theme of developing analytical methodology that enhances selectivity and sensitivity for chemical measurements.  This could involve detection of analytes in complex mixtures or at trace levels.  Numerous approaches to enhanced selectivity are employed such as the high efficiency of capillary electrophoresis (CE) separations, the development of electrochemical-based sensor devices with analyte specific recognition elements, or the combination of CE with microelectrode sensors as the detector. All of these approaches also lower the level at which detection and quantitation can be confidently made.

Research projects are interdisciplinary in nature, spanning many subdisciplines of chemistry and impacting all areas of chemistry.  Graduate and undergraduate students have utilized CE to develop separations for isomeric o-quinones and chiral drug compounds, fabricated biocatalytic electrodes for the measurement of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and its metabolic precursor choline, as well as thiols at the femtomole (10-15) level, developed assays for investigating the inhibition of choline uptake in synaptosome preparations by a new class of organic-based redox inhibitors synthesized in Dr. Richard Hudson’s laboratory, discovered novel chemical vapor deposition techniques to fabricate disk and ring-disk microelectrodes, specific sensor devices, and new optically transparent electrodes for spectroelectrochemical measurements, and synthesized and characterized novel luminescent rhenium(II) transition metal complexes.  The details of many of these projects can be found in the publications on this web site.

Scanning Electron Micrograph of a 10µm Carbon Fiber coated with Silica by Chemical Vapor Deposition.

Capillary Electrophoretic Separation and Detection of the Neurotransmitter Acetylcholine, Choline, and the Internal Standard Butyrylcholine with an Enzyme Modified Microelectrode.

Determination of Cysteine in Human Urine by Capillary Electrophoresis at a Biocatalytic Thiol Selective Microelectrode Detector.  Cysteine labeled as c.  A is urine only, while B is urine plus cysteine spike.