Andrew G. Sykes, Professor, Inorganic Chemistry
1992-94 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Fellow, Northern Arizona University; 1990-92 Postdoctoral Research Associate, California Institute of Technology; 1990 Ph.D., University of Minnesota; 1984 M.S., Montana State University; 1982 B.S., St. Lawrence University
Left to Right: Dr. Sykes, Becky
Pinkelman (
Our main research emphasis involves the design of novel chemical sensors, molecules that complex other guest molecules or ions and signal a recognition event, usually through a change in response of the host molecule to light. Our approach uses an anthraquinone platform and substitutes organic directing groups on the same side of the anthraquinone. The host can then coordinate guest molecules in close proximity to one of the carbonyl groups, changing the fluorescence response of the anthraquinone. The “shrubbery” suspended by the anthraquinone can be varied, greatly influencing the emission and controlling the selectivity of the host. Pendent groups can include PET, PCT and excimer-related photophysical processes.
Recent Publications
Structure and photophysics
of near-infrared emissive ytterbium(III) monoporphyrinate
acetate complexes having neutral bidentate ligands, Hongshan He, Andrew G. Sykes, P.
Stanley May, Guishan He, Dalton
Trans., 2009, 7454.
Chelating, Bridging, and Chain Structures within Ag(I) and Cu(I) Complexes of bis(nicotinyloxy), bis(Isonicotinyloxy), and bis(pyrimidine-5-carboxyloxy)-1,8-Disubstituted Anthraquinone Ligands, Stephanie S. Peterson, Tishal Kirby, Mariappan Kadarkaraisamy, Richard M. Hartshorn, Andrew G. Sykes, Polyhedron, 2009, 28, 3031.
Large Amplitude, Proton- and Cation-activated Latch-type Mechanical Switches: O-Protonated Amides Stabilized by Intramolecular, Low-Barrier Hydrogen Bonds (LBHB) within Macrocycles, Mariappan Kadarkaraisamy, Gerald Caple, Andrea R. Gorden, Marie Squire, Andrew G. Sykes, Inorg. Chem. 2008, 47, 11644.
Facile preparation of neutral monoporphyrinate lanthanide complexes with strong near-infrared emission,” Hongshan He and Andrew G. Sykes, Inorg. Chem. Comm., 2008, 1304.
Crystallography and photoluminescence properties of b-diketonate monoporphyrinate ytterbium (III) complexes, Hongshan He, Andrew G. Sykes, David Galipeau, Seik Weng Ng, Michael Ropp Inorg. Chem. Comm., 2008, 1051.
Monomeric Complexes of 1,8-bis(isonicotinyloxy)anthracene-9,10-dione, Dan Engelhart, Mariappan Kadarkaraisamy, and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Coord. Chem. 2008, 61, 3887.
Complexation, Crystallography, and
Electrochemistry of New Chelating Nicotinyl and Thiazolyl Anthraquinone Ligands, Mariappan
Kadarkaraisamy, Debdutta Mukherjee, Chin Chen Soh and
Andrew G. Sykes, Polyhedron 2007, 26, 4085.
Selective Luminescence Detection of Cadmium(II) and Mercury(II) utilizing Sulfur-Containing Anthraquinone Macrocycles (Part 2) and Formation of an unusual Hg22+- Crown Ether Dimer via Reduction of Hg(II) by DMF, Mariappan Kadarkaraisamy and Andrew G. Sykes, Polyhedron 2007, 26, 1323.
Crystallographic and Fluorescence Studies of Ammonium and Water Adducts of Anthraquinone Fluorophores, Zhen Liu and Andrew G. Sykes, Journal of Chemical Crystallography 2006, 36, 875.
Synthesis, Characterization and Photophysical Properties of Mixed Ligand Tris(polypyridyl)chromium(III) Complexes, Mauricio Isaacs, Andrew G. Sykes and Silvia Ronco, Inorganica Chimica Acta 2006, 359, 3847.
Luminescence Detection of Transition and Heavy Metals by Inversion of Excited States: Synthesis, Spectroscopy and X-ray Crystallography of Ca, Mn, Pb and Zn Complexes of 1,8-Anthraquinone-18-Crown-5, Mariappan Kadarkaraisamy and Andrew G. Sykes, Inorganic Chemistry 2006, 45, 779. http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/download.pl?ic051672z/34VT
Structural and Electronic Features Important to nπ*–ππ* inversion Sensors: Synthesis, Luminescence, and Electrochemical Properties of Sulfur and Chlorine-containing Macrocycles. Part 3, Mariappan Kadarkaraisamy, Eric Dufek, Desire Lone Elk and Andrew G. Sykes, Tetrahedron 2005, 61, 479.
"Metathesis Reactions of 2,2'-Bipyridine and 1,10-Phenanthroline
Complexes of Cobalt(II) and Nickel(II): Cocrystallization
of Ionization Isomers as
"Neutron and X-ray Diffraction, Solid-State 13C NMR, and Inelastic Neutron Scattering Investigations of Polymorphic p-Chlorophenylformamide: Absence of Proton Transfer Along the Intermolecular N-H...O Hydrogen Bond," Cheok N. Tam, Victor G. Young, John Cowan, Frans R. Trouw, Arthur Schultz, and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Phys. Chem. B 2003, 107, 7601. http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/download.pl?jp034271i/D8u3
"Characterization of an Asymmetric [M(chelate)Cl2]x Dimer and Isolation of Corresponding DMSO adducts: X-ray Crystal Structures of Co(phen)2(m-Cl)2CoCl2.C4H8O and M(chelate)Cl2(DMSO)x (Co, x= 1; Ni, x = 2) complexes," Boone Brewer, Neil R. Brooks, and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Chem. Crystall. 2003, 33, 663.
"Isolation and X-ray Structure of [Ir(CNBut)5H](PF6)2," Paul Lacey and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Coord. Chem. 2003, 56, 141.
"Luminescence and Structural Comparisons of Strong-Acid Sensor Molecules. Part II," Brian Kampmann, Yiqian Lian, Kortney L. Klinkel, Paul A. Vecchi, Heidi L. Quiring, Chin Chen Soh, and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67(11), 3878-3883. http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/download.pl?jo0257344/w6Jp
"Bridging Native American Culture and Chemistry: Gas Chromatography Experiments that Examine Native Foods," Gerald Caple and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76, 392.
"Absence of Hydronium Ion Formation in a Ternary Crown Ether-Mineral Acid-Water Complex: X-ray Crystal Structure of 1,8-Anthraquinone-18-crown-6.HNO3.3H2O," Victor G. Young, Jr. and Andrew G. Sykes, Inorg. Chem. 1998, 37, 376. http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/download.pl?ic970839o/f8qs
"Synthetic and Electrochemical Studies of Anthraquinone-Substituted Poly(pyrrole) Films," Shin Moteki and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Electroanal. Chem. 1998, 447, 91.
"A Luminescent Sensor Responsive to Common Oxoacids: X-ray Crystal Structure of [H3O•1,8-Anthraquinone- 18-crown-6]ClO4," Victor G. Young, Jr., Hiedi L. Quiring and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 12477. (Also cited in Chemical and Engineering News, January 5, 1998, p. 26.) http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/download.pl?ja9727124/W6ZB
"Characterization of 2-Amino-3-hydroxyphenazine Isolated from the Chemical Oxidation of ortho-Phenylenediamine," Paul W. Iseminger, Mike Gregory, Gerald Caple, and Andrew G. Sykes, J. Org. Chem. 1997, 62, 2643. http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/download.pl?jo9622136/v4AL
"One-Step Conversion of Aryl Nitro Compounds to N-Monosubstituted Formamides", Paul Hrvatin and Andrew G. Sykes, SynLett, 1997, 1069.
Updated: August 2009.