Dr. Jerry Ray Dias

Professor of Chemistry

Links More Information Courses Contact Office: 106 SCB Phone: 816-235-2284 Fax: 816-235-5502 E-mail: diasj@umkc.edu

Current Research Interests

The chemistry and molecular architecture of bile (cholic) acids, tetracyclic triterpenoids, and benzenoids are being investigated. Our research has resulted in the first transformation of cholic acid to derivatives of 17,19-dinorquassinoids, delineated the mechanism of electron impact induced fragmentation of the methyl ester triacetate of cholic acid through extensive deuterium labeling, identified a conversion of isocholesterol to a B-ring aromatic tetracyclic triterpenoid derivative by ejection of the C19-methyl, led to the discovery a diagnostic ¹³C NMR γ-oxygen shielding effect in cholic acid, and led to the synthesis and characterization of one of the largest open macrocycles ever subjected to X-ray crystallography.

Our theoretical benzenoid periodic table studies have unified the field of benzenoid and related hydrocarbons into a systematic framework for the first time; the criteria that identify a periodic table set constitutes an important conceptual contribution directed toward a unified structure theory for polycyclic conjugated polyenes, ranging from benzenoid hydrocarbons to fullerene carbons. Our periodic tables organize formulas into two-dimensional arrays in such a way as to sort them into regions with characteristic ranges of structures that can be identified by algorithms. This is a type of mapping which results in hierarchal orderings of the structures corresponding to the sorted formulas. The aufbau, circumscribing, leapfrog, and the hexagonal-to-pentagonal ring contraction algorithms are important tools used in the development of this unified formula/structure organization. This construct has led to the discovery of constant-isomer series and the spectacular structural isomorphism that exists between regular fused benzenoid hydrocarbons and the more stable total resonant sextet subset of benzenoid hydrocarbons.

Additional Information

Jerry Ray Dias, born in Oakland California, received his B.S. (1965) with Honors in Chemistry from San Jose State University where he did undergraduate research in organosilicon chemistry under Professor R.J. Fessenden. While he was a NIH Predoctoral Fellow at Arizona State University he received his Ph.D. (1970) for steroid synthesis under Professor G.R. Pettit. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow (1970-1972) at Stanford University where he studied fundamental principles governing mass spectral fragmentation of complicated molecules under Professor Carl Djerassi. In 1972, Dr. Dias joined the faculty of the University of Missouri - Kansas City and became professor in 1984. He was a Fulbright Senior Lecturer (1981) at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia, Yugoslavia), an invited lecturer (1990) at Yan Tai Teacher's College, Shandong, P.R. China, and a UKC Faculty Research Fellow (1995-1996, 2002-2003).

In addition, Dr. Dias has delivered invited lectures summarizing his research in Canada, France, India, Japan, Scotland, Spain, and the United States. His research interests include steroids and polycyclic conjugated hydrocarbons with emphasis on the molecular architecture of bile acid derivatives and benzenoid chemistry. His molecular modeling/graph theoretical studies have systematized the field of benzenoids into a unified framework, and his current efforts are directed toward the development of a unified structure theory for polycyclic conjugated hydrocarbons and the synthesis of cyclocholates of biological and theoretical interest. He has published over 160 papers and 3 books. At various times his research has been supported by NIH, EPA, private industrial sources, and the Fulbright exchange program. Additional information on Dr. Dias can be found in various editions of Marquis Who's Who in the Midwest and American Men and Women of Science.