Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Joe Reilly was drawn to Georgetown because of its strong Chemistry program. (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

By Katherine Morrissey

Joe Reilly, currently preparing for a research career in chemistry, has spent his undergraduate career in the Georgetown Chemistry Department working on a wide range of projects.

“I’ve been fortunate,” he explains. “The variety means that I’ve been exposed to many of the different kinds of tools chemists use in day-to-day work. It’s allowed me to decide exactly what I want to pursue in graduate school.”

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Reilly was drawn to Georgetown when he saw it listed as a school with a strong chemistry program, and he decided to come and take a look.

“After walking around campus and talking to members of both the Biology and Chemistry departments, it just felt like a good fit,” says Reilly. “I knew early on that I wanted to get involved in chemistry research and attended a poster session where every chemistry professor’s work was presented by a current undergraduate researcher. Dr. Holman’s work stood out not only because it fascinated my chemical curiosity, but also because the structures of his container molecules and cryptophanes made it easily the most intriguing poster there.

“Never underestimate a visual!” jokes Reilly.

Majoring in Chemistry with a Philosophy minor, Reilly’s current research project is the result of more than a year’s work using iron chemistry to promote the adding of a sulfur compound to a tightly bound ring of six carbons. Aryl sulfonates are used in everything from artificial sweeteners to antiseptics and detergents, but their synthesis can be very difficult, with various obstacles on the molecular level.

“We circumvent some of the obstacles by binding an iron-containing molecule to the bottom of our original ring,” Reilly says. “This withdraws all the electron density from the system and allows us to dictate exactly where certain sulfur groups can add themselves.”

Prior to this project, Reilly worked on bonding ruthenium-containing compounds to molecules that Dr. Holman had previously worked on. Reilly also spent the past summer as an intern at the Naval Research Laboratory doing aluminum chemistry. Organometalics work, the study of how metals bind to organic compounds and change their properties, is what he’s loved the most.

“I’ll definitely be continuing to work with organometalics as I pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry,” Reilly says. “While my work may not be exactly the same as what I’ve done with Dr. Holman, the lessons I’ve learned from working with him will help me for the rest of my career.”

Reilly also spends a considerable amount of time volunteering in the community as a member of Alpha Phi Omega (the national co-ed community service fraternity). He’s served on the Georgetown Honor Council, done two semesters of GUROP research, and is involved in the American Chemical Society through its Student Affiliate program.

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