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Thomas Clayton

Professor of Chemistry

Thomas Clayton

Meet Professor Clayton

Years at Knox: 1991 to present

Education

Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry, 1989, Ohio State University.
B.A., Chemistry and English, magna cum laude, 1981, Iowa Wesleyan College.

Teaching Interests

Inorganic chemistry, synthesis and theoretical characteristics of organometallics.

Selected Professional Accomplishments

Honors/Grants

  • Knox Faculty Research / Creative Work Grant: Acquisition of a DSC for Differential Thermal Calorimetry, 2016-2017.
  • Knox Faculty Research / Creative Work Grant: Site License for Chemcraft Software, 2016-2017.
  • Knox Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement Grant: Teaching with Technology: New DSC Instrument for Research and Teaching, 2016-2017.
  • Knox Faculty Research / Creative Work Grant: Synthesis of mixed ligand complexes of copper(II) and other transition metals through ligand exchange, 2014.
  • Pew Teacher-Scholar Fellowship.

Publications

Kraig A. Wheeler, Travis R. Helgren (`11) and Thomas W. Clayton "The bimolecular structure of aquahexa-μ-chlorido-μ4-oxido-tris(tetrahydrofuran- κO)tetracopper(II)-hexa-μ-chlorido-μ4-oxido-tetrakis(tetrahydrofuran- κO)tetracopper(II)-tetrahydrofuran (2/1/4)", Acta Cryst. 2014, C70, 306-311.

Supervising Co-Author: Bradley Musselman (`16). "Axial Site Reactivity of Copper(II) Carboxylate Metallomesogens." Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium, Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, October 31-November 1, 2014.

Supervising Co-Author: G. Michael Sprinkle (`15). "Synthesis and Characterization of Intriguing Manganese(II) Compounds." Midstates Science and Mathematics Consortium, Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, October 31-November 1, 2014.

Presentations

Pedagogy in the Teaching Lab Inspired by Mentoring Undergraduate Research: Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry at Knox College. Presented at the spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, 2008.

Campus & Community Involvement

  • Resident Faculty, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
  • Member, American Chemical Society.
  • Member, Council on Undergraduate Research.
  • Member, Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges.