The University of Texas at Arlingon

Kevin A. Schug         
Analytical Chemistry

Assistant Professor

 B.S. in Chemistry, College of William and Mary (1998) 

 Ph.D. in Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State 
 University (2002) 

 Postdoctoral Fellow:
 Institute for Analytical Chemistry, 
 University of Vienna, Austria (2003-2005)

 

 

Phone: 817-272-3541    FAX: 817-272-3808     E-mail: kschug@uta.edu     Office: 358 CPB     Personal Page

 

University eResearch Page

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Fundamentals of soft ionization mass spectrometry
  • Chiral and biomimetic molecular recognition
  • Gas and liquid chromatographic separations, applications and theory
  • Natural product isolation and characterization

     Soft ionization sources, such as electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), can be tuned to detect and study noncovalently-bound ionic complexes by mass spectrometry.  This capability, combined with the analytical advantages of speed and sensitivity, allows for an efficient means to study molecular recognition systems under a variety of condensed and gas phase conditions.  We are specifically concerned with development of novel methods for qualitative and quantitative analysis of molecular recognition systems by mass spectrometry and the application of these methods to interactive systems of current interest.  Current efforts are designed to have impact in drug discovery, chiral separations, and elucidation of biochemical interactions.

Through the course of our work, chromatographic separations and separation techniques play an important role.  This is the especially the case in research efforts related to the isolation and characterization of natural products.  A current source of funding is from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in an effort to elucidate and characterize the toxic constituents produced by golden algae (Prymnesium parvum), an organism responsible for massive fish fatalities in Texas waterways.

All of our research efforts rely on close collaborations with biochemists, biologists, synthetic chemists, and other analytical chemists and engineers to create and identify new compounds for investigation, as well as to tie our analytical research into the bigger picture.  It is my goal to involve students in all aspects of this endeavor, from research to teaching, in order to effectively train the next generation of analytical chemists.

Representative Publications:

Schug, K. A.,  “Solution Phase Enantioselective Recognition and Discrimination by Electrospray Ionization – Mass Spectrometry:  State-of-the-Art, Methods, and an Eye towards Increased Throughput Measurements,” Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening 2007, 10, 301-316.

Frycak, P.; Schug, K. A.,  “On-Line Dynamic Titration:  Determination of Dissociation Constants for Noncovalent Complexes Using Gaussian Concentration Profiles by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry,” Anal. Chem. 2007, 79, 5407-5413.

Raji, M. A.; Frycak, P.; Beall, M.; Sakrout, M.; Ahn, J.-M.; Bao, Y.; Armstrong, D. W.; Schug, K. A., “Development of an ESI-MS Screening Method for Evaluating Binding Affinity between Integrin Fragments and RGD-Based Peptides,” Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 2007, 262, 232-240.

Schug, K.A.; Maier , N.M. ; Lindner, W., “Chiral Recognition Mass Spectrometry:  Remarkable Effects Observed from the Relative Ion Abundances of Ternary Diastereomeric Complexes Using Electrospray Ionization,” Chem. Commun. 2006, 414-416.

Schug, K. A.; Fryčák, P.; Maier, N. M.; Lindner, W., “Measurement of Solution-Phase Chiral Molecular Recognition in the Gas Phase Using Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry,” Anal. Chem. 2005, 77, 3660-3670.

Schug, K. A.; Lindner, W., “Using Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry/Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Small Molecules to Study Guanidinium-Anion Interactions,” Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 2005, 241, 11-23.

Schug, K. A.; Lindner, W., “A Review of Noncovalent Binding between Guanidinium and Anionic Groups:  Focus on Biological- and Synthetic-Based Arginine/Guanidinium Interactions with Phosph[on]ate and Sulf[on]ate Residues,” Chem. Rev. 2005, 105, 67-113.

Schug, K. A.; Lindner, W., “Development of a Screening Technique for Noncovalent Complex Formation between Guanidinium- and Phosphonate-Functionalized Amino Acids:  Assessing Ionization and Functional Group Interaction,” Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 2004, 235, 213-222.


 

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, Texas 76019-0065, USA
Phone: 817-272-3171 | Fax: 817-272-3808
All rights reserved © 2006 The University of Texas at Arlington
 | Contact Us | Webmaster | Last updated: March 07, 2008