Professor Dempsey Hyatt from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, is a visiting professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry during fall 2024. While on sabbatical leave from Adelphi University, Prof. Hyatt is working on a collaborative research project on the organic chemistry of iodine in Dr. Zhdankin’s lab.
Hypervalent Iodine Compounds
The organic chemistry of iodine in higher oxidation states (known as hypervalent iodine) has recently attracted great interest from chemists worldwide. Hypervalent iodine compounds have wide applications in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and polymer industry. The chemistry of iodine in many aspects is similar to that of heavy metals, which have found wide application in the chemical industry.
In contrast to heavy metals, iodine is a non-toxic and environmentally friendly element. Dr. Hyatt’s research aims to prove that chemical reactions of hypervalent iodine compounds have the same mechanism as transition metal compounds and to develop new chemical reagents for organic synthesis. These environmentally sustainable reagents can find application in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. UMD Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has the essential equipment for this research. Dr. Zhdankin’s lab is a world leader in hypervalent iodine research.
Outside the Lab
Outside academics, Dr. Hyatt grew up in a rural North Carolina town and enjoys playing guitar in his NYC metal band, writing horror and science fiction, playing video games, and hiking. He is the first person in his family to have completed graduate school. During his time in Minnesota, he spent a weekend in the Boundary Waters, enjoyed sightseeing the North Shore and the Chester Park Loop, and found relaxation walking the Lake Walk and sipping suds at the many breweries in and around Duluth.