David P. Richardson

William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Chemistry

Education

• Undergraduate: 1975-77: Kalamazoo College; 1977-79: University of Michigan, B.S. in Chemistry, 1979
• Graduate: 1979-84: University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, 1984
• Postdoctoral study: 1984-86, Cornell University

Contact Information

• Office: 111 Thompson Chemistry Lab
• Lab: 152 Morley Science Lab
• Telephone: (413) 597-3201
• E-mail: David.P.Richardson@williams.edu

Courses Taught

• CHEM 156: Organic Chemistry: Introductory Level
• CHEM 251:Organic Chemistry: Intermediate Level
• CHEM 255: Organic Chemistry: Intermediate Level - Special Lab (Ford Course)
• CHEM 341: Toxicology and Cancer
• CHEM 342: Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Recent Members of the Richardson Lab

• Helen Cha '11
• Shirish Poudyal '10
• Samantha Barbaro '09
• Avalon Gulley '09
• Nicholas Reynolds '09
• Cale Weatherly '09
• Taylor Wilson-Hill '09
• Samantha Barbaro '09
• Katherine Ackerman '08
• Elizabeth Upton '08

Former Members of the Richardson Lab

Research Interests

Natural products isolation and structure determination; chemical ecology.

Nature is a superb organic chemist.  While taking care of the day-to-day business of being alive, living systems deftly assemble organic molecules of incredible complexity and subtle beauty.  My research involves synthesis, isolation and characterization of naturally-occurring substances, particularly those with interesting biological activity.  Current areas of study involve toxic agents from Southeast Asian dart poisons, allelopathic agents from local plants, the analysis of PCB contamination in the Hoosic River watershed and perchlorate contamination in local watertables, and the analysis of heterocylic organic molecules by ¹⁵N-NMR spectroscopy, and the synthesis of deuterofluorocarbons.

Selected Publications

• "Stereoselective Synthesis of Either (±)-exo- or (±)-endo-Brevicomin via Hydride Reduction of a 2-Acylpyranyl Intermediate," David P. Richardson, Whitney Wilson,* Rebecca J. Mattson,* and Dawn M. Powers,* J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, Perkin Communications, 1990, 2857.
• "Stereoselective Synthesis of the Paeonilactones A, B and C," David P. Richardson, Thomas E. Smith,* William W. Lin,* Cynthia N. Kiser,* and Brian R. Mahon,* Tetrahedron Lett., 1990, 31, 5973.
• "Identification and Preparation of Antiinsectan Dienols from Dipterocarpus kerrii Tree Resins," David P. Richardson, Adam C. Messer, Blair A. Newton,* and Neal I. Lindeman,* J. Chem. Ecol., 1991, 17, 663.
• "Purification and Characterization of Ornithine Transcarbamylase form Pea (Pisumsativum L.)," Robert.D. Slocum and David P. Richardson, Plant Physiology, 1991, 96, 262.
• "Discovering Stereoselectivity: Synthesis of exo- and endo-Brevicomin Using a Tunable Metal Hydride Reduction," David. P. Richardson, Whitney. Wilson,* Rebecca.J. Mattson,* Dawn. M. Powers,* and Brian T. Dolan,* J. Chem. Educ., 1991, 68, 951.
• "¹⁵N NMR Spectra of Carbolines," J. Hodge Markgraf, David P. Richardson, and Robert C. Livingston,* Magn. Reson. Chem., 1993, 31, 694.
• "Stereoselective Synthesis of 7R-Paeonimetaboline-I; Stereoselective Route Towards Paeoniflorigenone," David P. Richardson, Priscilla W. Carr,* Jared N. Cumming,* Warren G. Harbison,* Nina D. Raoof,* Michelle S. Sanders,* Eliza Shin,* Thomas E. Smith,* and Thomas H. Wintner,* Tetrahedron Lett., 1997, 38, 3817.
• "Toxicarioside A. A New Cardenolide Isolated from Antiaris toxicaria Latex-Derived Dart Poison. Assignment of the ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR Shifts for an Antiarigenin Aglycone," Christine A. Carter,* Robert W. Forney,* Elizabeth A. Gray,* Amy M. Gehring,* Tanya L. Schneider,* David B. Young,* Charles M. Lovett, Jr., Lincoln Scott, Adam C. Messer, and David P. Richardson, Tetrahedron, 1997, 53, 13557.
• "Toxicarioside B and Toxicarioside C. New Cardenolides Isolated from Antiaris toxicaria Latex-Derived Dart Poison," Christine A. Carter,* Elizabeth A. Gray,* Tanya L. Schneider,* Charles M. Lovett, Jr., Lincoln Scott, Adam C. Messer, and David P. Richardson, Tetrahedron , 1997, 53, 16959.
• "A Snapshot of PCB Levels in Hoosic River Sediments, Crayfish and Brown Trout in the Tri-State Area," Elaine K. Denny*, Analia Sorribas*, and David P. Richardson, Northeastern Geology and Environmental Science, 2005, 27, 276-294.
• "Substituent effects on ¹⁵N and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of 3-phenylisoxazoles: a theoretical and spectroscopic study," Mark H. Schofield, Marie-Adele Sorel*, Ryan J. Manalansan*, David P. Richardson, and J. Hodge Markgraf, Magn. Reson. Chem., 2006, 44, 851-855.
• "Substituent effects on ¹⁵N and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of 5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxathiazol-2-ones: a theoretical and spectroscopic study," J. Hodge Markgraf, Lu Hong*, David P. Richardson, and Mark H. Schofield, Magn. Reson. Chem., 2007, 45, 985-988.
• "Lecture Demonstrations of Fluorescence and Phosphorescence," David P. Richardson and Raymond Chang, Chem. Educator, 2007, 12, 279-281.
• "Acylation, Diastereoselective Alkylation, and Cleavage of an Oxazolidinone Chiral Auxiliary: A Multistep Asymmetric Synthesis Experiment for Advanced Undergraduates," Thomas E. Smith, David P. Richardson, George A. Truran, Katherine Belecki*, and Megumi Onishi*, J. Chem. Educ., 2008, 85, 695-697.

*Undergraduate co-author