Physical and Biophysical Chemistry

Dr. Eric B. Brauns

Assistant Professor

Email:

ebrauns@uidaho.edu

Tel:

208.885.4349

Office:

Renfrew 002


Department of Chemistry
P.O. Box 442343
Moscow, ID 83844-2343

Research Interests

  • My research group uses time-resolved spectroscopy to study the structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules. At present, we are studying the fast (nanosecond) folding dynamics of RNA tetraloops using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. Click here to read more.

  • We are interested in developing techniques to extract more information from our experimental infrared spectra. The infrared spectra of large biological macromolecules in condensed phases tend to be broad and congested; obscuring useful information. We are using a variety of techniques to mitigate these issues. These include: Fourier self deconvolution, curve fitting, and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy.

  • To complement the experimental work, my group is collaborating with Prof. Marty Ytreberg of the UI Department of Physics. Prof. Ytreberg will perform computer simulations of our RNA samples. His results in combination with our experimental data will provide a detailed picture of RNA dynamics.

  • We are also collaborating with Prof. Patrick Hrdlicka of the UI Department of Chemistry. Prof. Hrdlicka is a synthetic organic chemist and is working on the synthesis of isotope labeled RNA nucleotides. Infrared spectra of isotope labeled RNA oligomers will enable us to make accurate structural assignments from our data.

  • My group is also interested in developing interferometric methods for hyperspectral imaging.

Teaching

Representative Publications

  1. A.L. Stancik and E.B. Brauns. 2008. Rearrangement of Partially Ordered Stacked Conformations Contributes to the Rugged Energy Landscape of a Small RNA Hairpin. Biochemistry. Submitted.

  2. E.B. Brauns and R.J. Meier. 2008. Issues in Curve Fitting Vibrational Spectra: Bandshape Justification and the Influence of Background Correction. Vib. Spectrosc. in press. DOI: 10.1016/j.vibspec.2008.07.002

  3. A.L. Stancik and E.B. Brauns. 2008. A Simple Asymmetric Lineshape for Fitting Infrared Absorption Spectra. Vib. Spectrosc. 47:66-69.

  4. E.B. Brauns and R.B. Dyer. 2006. Fourier Transform Hyperspectral Visible Imaging and the Nondestructive Analysis of Potentially Fraudulent Documents. Appl. Spectrosc. 60:833. (August 2006 Cover Feature)

  5. E. B. Brauns, T. M. McCleskey, A. K. Burrell, and G. A. Baker. 2006. Fluorescence Quenching Immunoassay Performed in an Ionic Liquid. ChemComm. 2851.

  6. E. B. Brauns and R. Brian Dyer. 2005. Time Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of RNA Folding. Biophys. J. 89:3523.

  7. C. M. Cardona, S. H, Jannach, H. Huang, Y. Itojima, R. M. Leblanc, E. B. Brauns, G. A. Baker, and R. E. Gawley. 2005. Spatially Resolved Derivatization of Solid-Phase- Synthesis Beads with Fluorescent Dendrimers: Creation of Localized Microdomains. Helvetica Chimica Acta 85:3532.

  8. E.B. Brauns, R. S. Coleman, C. J. Murphy and M. A. Berg. 2002. Complex Local Dynamics in DNA on the Picosecond and Nanosecond Time Scales. Phys. Rev. Lett. 15:158101.

  9. E.B. Brauns, M. Madaras, R. S. Coleman, C. J. Murphy and M. A. Berg. 2000. Ultrafast Dynamics in DNA. Ultrafast Phenomena XII, Proceedings of the 12th International Conference.

  10. E.B. Brauns, M. Madaras, R. S. Coleman, C. J. Murphy and M. A. Berg. 1999. Measurement of Local DNA Reorganization on the Picosecond and Nanosecond Time Scales. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 22:11644.

  11. E. B. Brauns, C. J. Murphy, and M. A. Berg. 1998. Local Dynamics in DNA by Temperature-Dependent Stokes Shifts of an Intercalated Dye. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 18:2449.

  12. E. B. Brauns and C. J. Murphy. 1997. Quantum Dots as Chemical Sensors. Recent Res. In Physical Chem. 1:1.

  13. E. B. Brauns, S. W. Jones, J. A. Clark, S. M. Molnar, Y. Kawanishi, and K. J. Brewer. 1997. Electrochemical, Spectroscopic, and Spectroelectrochemical Properties of Synthetically Useful Supramolecular Light Absorbers with Mixed Polyazine Bridging Ligands. Inorg. Chem. 36:2861.

  14. M. Milkevitch, H. Storrie, E. B. Brauns, K. J. Brewer, and B. W. Shirley. 1997. A New Class of Supramolecular, Mixed-Metal DNA- Binding Agents: The Interaction of Ru(II), Pt(II) and Os(II), Pt(II) Bimetallic Complexes with DNA. Inorg. Chem. 36:4534.

  15. M. Milkevitch, E. B. Brauns, and K. J. Brewer. 1996. Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Properties of a Series of Mixed-Metal d6, d8 Bimetallic Complexes. Inorg. Chem. 35:1737.

Last updated on 8/21/2008 7:40:04 AM