Ivan Aprahamian

Professor Aprahamian received all his degrees (BSc in 1998, MS in 2000, and PhD in 2005) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. His doctoral research was conducted under the supervision of Professors Mordecai Rabinovitz and Tuvia Sheradsky and focused on NMR spectroscopic studies of alkali metal reduced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. He then carried out postdoctoral researcher in Professor J Fraser Stoddart's Group at UCLA, where he focused on the synthesis of switchable and highly-ordered interlocked molecules in the form of bistable [n]rotaxanes. Dr. Aprahamian joined the faculty at Dartmouth College in August 2008.

Position: Assistant Professor of Chemistry
E-Mail: Ivan Aprahamian
Research group website

 Research Interests

Research in the Aprahamian group will be focused in two main directions, namely, i) molecular machines and ii) conducting molecular wires.

Molecular Machines: In order to build smart molecular machines that function in a predetermined fashion, it is crucial to understand and eventually control the motion of the components of such machines. For this reason two main directions will be pursued initially in the group. One project will focus on ruthenium-based molecular rotors (specifically scorpionates), which will help in understanding and comparing the molecular motion of various molecular rotors in different environments. In addition, a novel light-induced molecular switch will be developed, and then used in the construction of molecular motors and machines.

Molecular Wires: The second research direction involves the synthesis of organolithium compounds that can self-assemble into conducting molecular wires. This research will take advantage of the ability of lithium cations to stack together the anions derived from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These well defined supramolecular architectures can find application in Li-based batteries.

The main tools in accomplishing these research directions will be synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry. The obtained compounds will be characterized and their function and application studied using spectroscopy (NMR, IR, UV, CD), X-ray crystallography and microscopy (AFM, TEM). Computation (molecular mechanics and DFT) will also be used in designing appropriate target molecules and in explaining observed phenomena.

Selected Publications

• T. Yasuda, K. Tanabe, K. K. Coti, I. Aprahamian, J. F. Stoddart, T. Kato, “Electrochromic Behavior in a Redox-Switchable Liquid-Crystalline [2]Rotaxane”, 2009, Submitted.Y.-L Zhao, W. R. Dichtel, A. H. Trabolsi, S. Saha, I. Aprahamian, J. F. Stoddart, "A Redox-Switchable α-Cyclodextrin-Based [2]Rotaxane", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 11294–11296.
• Y.-L Zhao, W. R. Dichtel, A. H. Trabolsi, S. Saha, I. Aprahamian, J. F. Stoddart,  "A Redox-Switchable a-Cyclodextrin-Based [2]Rotaxane", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 11294–11296.
• W. R. Dichtel, O. Š. Miljanić, W. Zhang, J. M. Spruell, K. Patel, I. Aprahamian, J. R. Heath, J. F. Stoddart, "Kinetic and Thermodynamic Approaches for the Efficient Formation of Mechanical Bonds", Acc. Chem. Res. 2008, 41, 1750–1761.
• Y.-L Zhao, I. Aprahamian, A. H. Trabolsi, N. Erina, J. F. Stoddart, "Organogel Formation by a Cholesterol-Stoppered Bistable [2]Rotaxane and Its Dumbbell Precursor", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 6348–6350.
• I. Aprahamian, J.-C. Olsen, A. H. Trabolsi, J. F. Stoddart, "Tetrathiafulvalene Radical Cation Dimerization in a Bistable Tripodal [4]Rotaxane", Chemistry – A European Journal 2008, 14, 3889–3895.
• A. Coskun, S. Saha, I. Aprahamian, J. F. Stoddart, "A Reverse Donor-Acceptor Bistable [2]Catenane", Org. Lett. 2008, 10, 3187–3190.
• O. Š. Miljanić, W. R. Dichtel, I. Aprahamian, R. D. Rohde, H. D. Agnew, J. R. Heath, J. F. Stoddart, "Rotaxanes and Catenanes by Click Chemistry", QSAR Comb. Sci. 2007, 27, 1165–1174. (Invited Review)
• I. Aprahamian, O. Š. Miljanić, W. R. Dichtel, K. Isoda, T. Yasuda, T. Kato, J. F. Stoddart, "Clicked Interlocked Molecules", Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 2007, 80, 1856–1869. (Invited Review – Back Cover)
• S. Kang, I. Aprahamian, J. F. Stoddart, "Pirouetting in Chiral [2]Catenanes", Israel J. Chem. 2007, 47, 253–262. (Equal contribution with S. K.) 
• I. Aprahamian, T. Yasuda, T. Ikeda, S. Saha, W. R. Dichtel, K. Isoda, T. Kato, J. F. Stoddart, "A Liquid Crystalline Bistable [2]Rotaxane", Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 4675–4679.
• T. Ikeda, I. Aprahamian, J. F. Stoddart, "The Blue-Colored Donor-Acceptor [2]Rotaxane", Org. Lett. 2007, 9, 1481–1484.
• I. Aprahamian, W. R. Dichtel, T. Ikeda, J. R. Heath, J. F. Stoddart, "A Clicked Bistable [2]Rotaxane", Org. Lett. 2007, 9, 1287–1290.
• T. Ikeda, S. Saha, I. Aprahamian, K. C.-F. Leung, A. Williams, W.-Q. Deng, A. H. Flood, W. A. Goddard III, J. F. Stoddart, "Toward Electrochemically-Controllable Tristable Three-Station [2]Catenanes", Chem. Asian J. 2007, 2, 76–93.
• S. Nygaard, K. C.-F. Leung, I. Aprahamian, T. Ikeda, S. Saha, B. W. Laursen,  S.-Y. Kim, S. W. Hansen, P. C. Stein, A. H. Flood, J. F. Stoddart, J. O. Jeppesen, "Functionally Rigid Bistable [2]Rotaxanes", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 960–970.