Thomas Poon
Senior Associate Dean of Faculty, Pitzer College
Professor of Chemistry
 
Email: tpoon@kecksci.claremont.edu
Office: Pitzer Campus Fletcher 202
Phone: 909-621-8736
Office Hours: TBD
Web Site: http://ochem.jsd.claremont.edu/tpoon.htm
   
Educational Background:
B.S. - Fairfield University
Ph.D. - UCLA
Courses Taught:
Organic Chemistry, Modern Molecular Photochemistry, Forensic Science, Advanced Laboratory, Pitzer First-Year Seminar
Research Interests:
Photochemistry, synthetic methodology, natural products, zeolite chemistry, and pedogogy
Thesis Topics:
Supramolecular Chemistry Within Zeolites
Reactions of Singlet Oxygen
Isolation of Shikimic Acid from Natural Sources
 
Selected Publications List: Click to open new window.
1.   William Brown and Thomas Poon . (2010). Introduction to Organic Chemistry, Fourth Edition.  John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ : .
 
2.   A. Blackman, S. E. Bottle, S. Schmid, M. Mocerino, U. Wille, J. E. Brady, F. Senese, W. H. Brown, T. Poon, J. Olmsted III, and G. M. Williams . (2008). Chemistry.  John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. : .
 
3.   J. Sivaguru, M.R. Solomon, T. Poon, S. Jockusch, S.G. Bosio, W. Adam, and N. J. Turro . (2008). The Reaction of Singlet Oxygen with Enecarbamates: A Mechanistic Playground for Investigating Chemoselectivity, Stereoselectivity and Vibratioselectivity of Photooxidations. Accounts of Chemical Research   41: 387-400. Abstract Article
 
4.   T. Poon and R. Ovadia . (2008). Use of Tactile Learning Aids for the Visually Impaired in a First Semester Organic Chemistry Course. Journal of Chemical Education   85: 240-242. Abstract Article
 
5.   L. B. Enrich, M. L. Scheuermann, A. Mohadjer, K. R. Matthias, C. F. Eller, M. S. Newman, M. Fujinaka, and T. Poon . (2008). Liquidambar styraciflua: a renewable source of shikimic acid. Tetrahedron Letters   49: 2503-2505. Abstract Article
 
6.   W. Brown and T. Poon . (2006). Introduction to Organic Chemistry: Italian translation.   John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ : .
 
7.   H. P. Moeur, T. Poon , and A. Zanella . (2006). An Introduction to UV-Vis Spectroscopy Using Sunscreens. Journal of Chemical Education   83: 769. Abstract Article
 
8.   J. Sivaguru, H. Saito, M. R. Solomon, L. S. Kaanumalle, T. Poon, S. Jockusch, W. Adam, V. Ramamurthy, Y. Inoue, and N. J. Turro . (2006). Control of Chirality by Cations in Confined Spaces: Photooxidation of Enecarbamates Inside Zeolite Supercages. Photochemistry and Photobiology   82: 123-131. Abstract Article
 
9.   J. Sivaguru, T. Poon, C. Hooper, H. Saito, M. Solomon, S. Jockusch, W. Adam, Y. Inoue, and N. J. Turro . (2006). A Comparative Mechanistic Analysis of the Stereoselectivity Trends Observed in the Oxidation of Chiral Oxazolidinone-Functionalized Enecarbamates by Singlet Oxygen, Ozone and Triazolinedione. Tetrahedron Symposia-in-Print   62: 10647-10659.
 
10.   J. Sivaguru, M. R. Solomon, H. Saito, T. Poon, S. Jockusch, W. Adam, Y. Inoue, and N. J. Turro . (2006). Conformationally controlled (entropy effects), stereoselective vibrational quenching of singlet oxygen in the oxidative cleavage of oxazolidinone-functionalized enecarbamates through solvent and temperature variations. Tetrahedron Symposia-in-Print   62: 6707-6717. Abstract Article
 
11.   J. Sivaguru, H. Saito, T. Poon, T. Omonuwa, R. Franz, S. Jockusch, C. Hooper, Y. Inoue, W. Adam, and N. J. Turro . (2005). Stereoselective Photooxidation of Enecarbamates: Reactivity of Ozone vs Singlet Oxygen. Organic Letters   7: 2089-2092. Abstract Article
 
12.   W. Brown and T. Poon . (2004). . Introduction to Organic Chemistry  John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, NJ : .
 
13.   T. Poon, J. Sivaguru, R. Franz, S. Jockusch, C. Martinez, I. Washington, W. Adam, Y. Inoue, and N. J. Turro . (2004). Multidimensional Control of Stereoselectivity in the Reactions of Singlet Oxygen with Oxazolidinone-substituted Enecarbamates. J. Am. Chem. Soc.   126: 10498-10499. Abstract Article
 
14.   J. Sivaguru, T. Poon, R. Franz, S. Jockusch, W. Adam, and N. J. Turro . (2004). Stereocontrol within Confined Spaces: Enantioselective Photooxidation of Enecarbamates Inside Zeolite Supercages. J. Am. Chem. Soc.   126: 10816-10817. Abstract Article
 
15.   T. Poon . (2004). The Big Picture. A Classroom Activity for Organic Chemistry. J. Chem. Educ.   81: 513-514. Abstract Article
 
16.   T. Poon, N. J. Turro, J. Chapman, P. Lakshminarasimhan, X. Lei, W. Adam, and S. Bosio . (2003). A Supramolecular ‘Ship in Bottle’ Strategy for Enantiomeric Selectivity in Geminate Radical Pair Recombination. Org. Lett.   5: 2025-2028. Abstract Article
 
17.   T. Poon, N. J. Turro, J. Chapman, P. Lakshminarasimhan, X. Lei, S. Jockusch, R. Franz, W. Adam, and S. Bosio . (2003). Stereochemical Features of the Physical and Chemical Interactions of Singlet Oxygen with Enecarbamates. Org. Lett.   5: 4951-4953. Abstract Article
 
18.   T.-J. Cheng, P. G. Rey, T. Poon, and C.-C. Kan . (2002). Kinetic studies of human tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase, an enzyme in the topoisomerase I DNA repair pathway. Eur. J. Biochem.   269: 3697-3704. Abstract Article
 
19.   T. Poon, B.P. Mundy, and T.W. Shattuck . (2002). The Michael Reaction. J. Chem. Educ.   79: 264-267. Abstract Article
 
20.   F. G. Favaloro, C. A. Goudreau, B. P. Mundy, T. Poon, S. V. Slobodzian, B. L. Jensen . (2001). Natural Products Via Reetz Chemistry. Synthesis Of (±)-Cuparene. Synth. Comm.   31: 1847-1855. Abstract Article
 
21.   T. Poon, S.A. Bodolosky, C. Norris . (1999). An Integrated Molecular Modeling and Melting Point Experiment for the Organic Chemistry Laboratory. J. Chem. Educ.   76: 983-984. Abstract Article
 
22.   T. Poon, J.P. McIntyre, L.R. Eller, C.M. Norris, J.A. Oelrich, T.A. Pluim, C.F. Eller, K.M. Jones, W. Massello, A. Dorigo, M.A. Davis, H.K. Izumi, K.H. Kelley, M.L. Melamed, S.E. Poplawski, J.M. St. Clair, M.P. Stokes, W.C. Wheeler, E.E. Wilkes . (1999). The Preparation of a UV Light Absorbing Polymer: A Project-Oriented Laboratory Experiment for the Introductory Organic Chemistry Curriculum. J. Chem. Educ.   76: 1523-1524. Abstract Article
 
23.   T. Poon, B.P. Mundy, F.G. Favaloro, C.A. Goudreau, A. Greenberg, R. Sullivan . (1998). Application of the Reetz Reagent, Dichlorodimethyltitanium, to Develop Sterically Congested Quaternary Centers. The Synthesis of Herbertene. Synthesis   : 832-4. Abstract Article
 
24.   T. Poon, B.P. Mundy, J. McIntyre, L. Woods, F. Favaloro, C. Goudreau . (1997). Kinetic versus Thermodynamic Control in the Dehydration of 2-Methylcyclopentanol. J. Chem. Educ.   74: 1218-1219. Abstract Article
 
25.   S.P. West, T. Poon, J.L. Anderson, M.A. West, C.S. Foote . (1997). Extraction, Isolation, and Characterization of Fullerene C60. J. Chem. Educ.   74: 311-2. Abstract Article
 
26.   T. Poon, S.H. Park, Y. Elemes, C.S. Foote . (1995). Solvent Dependent Reactions of 4-Phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione with trans-Cyclooctene. J. Am. Chem. Soc.   117: 10468-73. Abstract Article
 
27.   T. Poon, K. Pringle, C.S. Foote . (1995). The Reaction of Cyclooctenes with Singlet Oxygen. Trapping of A Perepoxide Intermediate. J. Am. Chem. Soc.   117: 7611-8. Abstract Article
 
28.   J.E. Sarneski, D. Michos, H.H. Thorp, M. Didiuk, T. Poon, J. Blewitt, G.W.Brudvig, R.H. Crabtree . (1991). Alkyl Hydroperoxide Oxidation of Alkanes and Alkenes with a Highly Active Mn Catalyst. Tetrahedron Lett.   32: 1153-6. Abstract Article