Greg T. Spyridis
Seattle Pacific University
Department of Chemistry
Seattle, WA 98119-1997
Phone: 206-281-2513
E-mail: spyrig@spu.edu
Education
1985
B.S. Chemistry, (minor in Mathematics)
Seattle University
Seattle, WA 98122
1996
Ph.D. Physical Organic Chemistry
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195
Research Advisor: Professor Yeshayau Pocker
Professional Experience:
1996 - 1998
Senior Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Washington
1998 – 2004
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Seattle University
2004 – 2008
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of South Alabama
Jan.–June 2008
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Western Washington
June–Dec. 2008 Lecturer , Department of Chemistry, University of Washington
2009 – present
Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, Seattle Pacific University
Society Memberships:
Hellenic American Academic Community
American Chemical Society (ACS)
American Chemical Society Responsibilities:
Member, Steering Committee, 56th ACS Northwest Regional Meeting, 2001.
Presider, Poster Sessions, 56th ACS Northwest Regional Meeting, 2001.
Session Organizer and Presider, Symposium in Honor of Professor Yeshayau Pocker,
56th ACS Northwest Regional Meeting, 2001.
Member, Executive Committee, ACS Puget Sound Section, 2001-2003.
Chair, ACS Puget Sound Section, 2003.
Organizer and Presider, Student Affiliate Research Symposium, ACS Puget Sound Section, 2003.
Session Chair, Heterocycles and Aromatics, 232nd ACS National Meeting, 2006.
Chair, ACS Mobile Section, 2007.
Session Chair, Physical Organic Chemistry; Calculations, Mechanisms, Photochemistry and High Energy
Species, 235th ACS National Meeting, 2008.
Editorial Responsibilities:
Reviewer for Journal of Chemical Education, 2002 – present.
Reviewer of Schoffstall, AM; Gaddis, BA; Druelinger, ML. Microscale and Miniscale Organic
Chemistry Laboratory Experiments 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York © 2004.
Honors:
Best Presentation, American Chemical Society Regional Research Competition, 1985.
Outstanding Alumni, School of Science and Engineering, Seattle University, 1991.
Leadership Conference, American Chemical Society, Certificate, 2002.
Outstanding Commitment to Teaching and Service, Certificate, Seattle University, 2004.
Publications (Undergraduate Coauthors Underlined):
1.
Sykora RE, Kalachnikova K and Spyridis GT. 3-Triphenylmethy-2,4-pentanedione. Acta Cryst. 2007 E63:
o4075.
2.
Blice-Baum A, Van Dyke A, Sigmon I, Salter, EA, Wierzbicki A, Pocker Y, Spyridis GT. Computational and
Spectroscopic Studies Concerning the Solvatochromic Behavior of 1,3-Disubstituted Azulenes. Int. J. Quantum
Chem. 2006; 106:2331
3.
Pocker Y, and Spyridis GT. The Modulation of Tautomeric Equilibria by Ionic Clusters: Acetylacetone in
Solutions of Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002; 124:10373.
4.
Pocker Y, and Spyridis GT. Electrostatic Modulation by Ionic Aggregates: Charge Transfer Transitions in
Solutions of Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002; 124:7390.
5.
Anderson J, Byrne T, Woelfel KJ, Meany JE, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. The Hydrolysis of p-Nitrophenyl
Acetate: A Versatile Reaction to Study Enzyme Kinetics. J. Chem. Educ. 1994; 71:715.
6.
Spyridis GT, and Meany JE. Tautomerization of Acetylacetone Enol. J. Chem. Educ. 1988; 65:461.
7.
Spyridis GT, Meany JE, Pocker Y. Carbonic Anhydrase Catalysis: An Experiment in Enzyme Kinetics. J.
Chem. Educ. 1985; 62:1124.
Posters and Presentations (Undergraduate Coauthors Underlined):
1.
Blice-Baum A, Gros B, Spyridis GT. Synthesis of Halogenated Azulenic Ketones. 235th American
Chemical Society National Meeting, 2008, chemical education abstract 487.
2.
Blice-Baum A, Kalachnikova K, Salter EA, Wierzbicki A, Sykora RE, Spyridis GT. Crystallographic and
Quantum Mechanical Studies of Azulene and Guaiazulene Carboxylic Acids. 231st American Chemical
Society National Meeting, 2006, chemical education abstract 370.
3.
Velazquez HA, Hollingsworth J, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. Heterolytic Bond Cleavage in Solutions of
Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. 231st American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2006, chemical
education abstract 403.
4.
Van Dyke AR, Blice-Baum A, Benedict JB, Kaminsky W, Salter EA, Wierzbicki A, Spyridis GT.
Crystallographic and Quantum Mechanical Studies of 1,3-Disubstituted Azulenes. 229th American
Chemical Society National Meeting, 2005, organic abstract 440.
5.
Goode RD, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. Charge Transfer Transitions of Fulvenes in Solutions of Lithium
Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. 229th American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2005, organic abstract 439.
6.
Warner L J-A, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. Charge Transfer Transitions of Nitroethylenes in Solutions of
Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. 227th American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2004, organic
abstract 236.
7.
Pocker Y, and Spyridis GT. Acetylacetone in Solutions of Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. 225th
American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2003, organic abstract 657.
8.
Pocker Y, and Spyridis GT. Charge Transfer Transitions in Solutions of Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl
Ether. 225th American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2003, organic abstract 702.
9.
Van Dyke AR, and Spyridis GT. Solvaltochromatic Behavior of Azulene and its Derivatives: Developing
a Solvent Polarity Scale. 225th American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2003, chemical education
abstract 804.
10.
Purdon J, Meany JE, Spyridis GT. Determination of the Kinetic Parameters for the Reversible Hydration
of Pyruvic Acid. 225th American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2003, chemical education abstract
753.
11.
Purdon J, Meany JE, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. Determination of the Kinetic Parameters for the Hydration of
Pyruvic Acid Using a Stopped-Flow Apparatus. American Chemical Society Puget Sound Section Student
Affiliate Symposium, 2003, chemical education abstract 4.
12.
Sigmon I, Van Dyke AR, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. The UV-Visible Spectra of Azulenes in Solvents of
Increasing Polarity. American Chemical Society Puget Sound Section Student Affiliate Symposium, 2003,
chemical education abstract 5.
13.
Pocker Y, Spyridis GT, Bolinger J, James KA. Modulation of Charge Transfer Transitions by Solutions of
Lithium Perchlorate-Diethyl Ether. 56th American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 2001;
abstract 358.
14.
Spyridis GT, Maciek W, Nelson M, Meany JE, Pocker Y. The Inhibition of Carbonic Anhydrase by
Sulfonamides. 56th American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 2001; abstract 361.
15.
Meany JE, Jackels S, Skogerboe K, Spyridis GT, Thorsell D. Aqueous Solutions of Methyl Pyruvate:
Spectroscopic Methods to Monitor Four Reactions in Laboratory Activities. 56th American Chemical
Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 2001; abstract 337.
16.
Shelby JP, and Spyridis GT. The Nitration of Azulene: An Organic Laboratory Experiment. 219th
American Chemical Society National Meeting, 2000; chemical education abstract 71.
17.
French C, Meany JE, Spyridis GT, Thorsell D. Reversible Hydration of Pyruvic Acid and Pyruvate Ion.
13th National Conference Undergraduate Research, 1999, chemistry abstract 77.
18.
Spyridis GT, and Pocker Y. Spectroscopic Studies of the Interactions of Fullerenes with Ionic Clusters. 1st
International and Interdisciplinary Colloquium on the Science and Technology of the Fullerenes,
1993; poster 10A, abstract 138.
19.
Pocker Y, Spyridis GT, Rogers K. A Theoretical Study of C60 and C60O. 1st International and
Interdisciplinary Colloquium on the Science and Technology of the Fullerenes, 1993, Poster 13, abstract
199.
20.
Spyridis GT, Pocker Y, Rogers K. Fullerenes and Ionic Clusters. 48th American Chemical Society
Northwest Regional Meeting, 1993; abstract 70.
21.
Spyridis GT, and Pocker Y. Effects of self-Assembled Ionic Aggregates on Tautomeric Equilibria. 48th
American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 1993; abstract 71.
22.
Spyridis GT, and Pocker Y. Charge-Transfer Spectra in Organized Media Containing Ionic Clusters. 48th
American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 1993; abstract 74.
23.
Anderson J, Byrne T, Woelfel KJ, Meany JE, Spyridis GT, Pocker Y. The Hydrolysis of p-Nitrophenyl
Acetate: Team Laboratory Projects. 47th American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 1992;
abstract 55.
24.
Spyridis GT, and Pocker Y. Interaction of Dipolar Molecules and Visual Pigments with Ionic Clusters.
47th American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 1992; abstract 126.
25.
Pocker Y, and Spyridis GT. Spectroscopy of Retinal, Other Aldehydes, and Their Pyrrolidinium Salts in
Ionic Clusters. Proc. Int. Biophys. Congress, 1990; 10, 188.
26.
Spyridis GT and Pocker Y. Preferential Solvation by Ionic Aggregates: Implications for Tautomeric
Equilibria in Biochemistry and Biophysics. 3rd Symposium of the Protein Society, 1989; T90.
27.
Spyridis GT and Meany JE. The Reversible Tautomerization of Acetylacetone. 40th American Chemical
Society Northwest Regional Meeting, 1985; abstract 162.
28.
Spyridis GT and Meany JE. The Reversible Tautomerization of Acetylacetone. American Chemical
Society Puget Sound Section Student Affiliates Meeting, 1985; abstract 15.
Research Summary
I am interested in the use of dipolar aromatic compounds, particularly azulenes, as solvent polarity probes of
concentrated, nonaqueous salt solutions as well as ionic liquids. In addition, I am also interested in the ability of
these media to promote and sustain heterolytic C-C, C-O and C-N bond cleavage.