Kenneth R. Fountain

Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
Department of Chemistry
Truman State University
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 785-4633
(660) 785-4189 (fax)
sc18@truman.edu

Education

• B.A., Wheaton College
• Ph.D., University of Illinois

Courses Taught

• Chemistry for Contemporary Living
• Organic Chemistry I
• Organic Chemistry Lab I
• Organic Chemistry II
• Organic Chemistry Lab II
• Organic Chemistry (Super) Lab

Research Interests

Dr. Fountain does research in two areas: computational chemistry and structure and mechanisms in organic chemistry. In studying structure and mechanism, one first determines the pathway of an organic reaction and then varies the structures of the starting materials. One then determines the effect of the change on the pathways. With the assistance of many undergraduates he has published papers in the Canadian Journal of Chemistry and, more recently, in the Journal of Organic Chemistry (Dec. 1993). Current work is on the reactions of nucleotides such as N-phenylhydroxylamine. The alkylations of these compounds by methyl groups show important changes in pathway, possibly due to the inclusion of some single electron transfer character in the transition state. This work has been supported by a large RUI grant from the National Science Foundation. Computational chemistry with such programs as HYPERCHEM is an important part of the research.

PDF file of the presentation: "Is the Alpha Effect a Concerto or a Symphony" from the Spring 2008 ACS National Meeting.