Photo of David Lightner

David A. Lightner

R.C. Fuson Professor Emeritus and Regents Research Professor

Summary

Research Interests

Research interests include synthesis, stereochemistry, molecular recognition and photochemistry, with an emphasis on (i) dipyrrole and tetrapyrrole synthetic analogs of bilirubin, the yellow pigment of jaundice; (ii) organic conformational analysis from circular dichroism and NMR spectroscopy; (iii) photobiology, molecular mechanisms of phototherapy for neonatal jaundice, bilirubin metabolism, pyrrole chemistry and photochemistry, photooxidation and singlet oxygen; (iv) chiral molecular recognition; (v) chiroptical properties and electronic interaction of non-adjacent chromophores, long-range interactions; (vi) exciton interactions in organic and biological systems as detected by circular dichroism; and (vii) stereochemistry of cyclic ketones and the Octant Rule.

Education

  • NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Theory of Optical Activity (1964-65), University of Minnesota (Albert Moscowitz)
  • NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Mass Spectrometry (1963-64), Stanford University (Carl Djerassi)
  • Ph.D. (1963), Organic Stereochemistry, Stanford University (Carl Djerassi)
  • A.B. (1960), Organic Synthesis, University of California at Berkeley (William G. Dauben)

Professional certifications

  • Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Selected publications