Terrence J. Collins
Teresa Heinz Professor in Green Chemistry, Chemistry
Director, Institute for Green Science
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Auckland, 1978Research
Keywords: Green chemistry, green oxidation catalysis in water, inorganic chemistry, biomimetic chemistry of peroxidase enzymes, mechanisms of oxidation catalysis, novel approaches to water purificationProjects
Design of Green Oxidation Catalysts
We design homogeneous oxidation catalysts to activate the natural oxidants, hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. By following an iterative design protocol, we have developed TAML activators with iron as the active metal that are outstanding peroxidase mimics, but are only about 1% the size of the enzymes. Peroxidase enzymes are distributed widely in nature and activate hydrogen peroxide to oxidize organic substrates. We are continuing to develop our insight into how to control catalyst lifetime, reactivity and selectivity via ligand design and are producing new peroxidase mimics with targeted reactivity features. Students learn to design high performance oxidation catalysts and to apply synthetic organic and inorganic chemistry to enable their design work.
Mechanisms of Action of Green Oxidation Catalysts
In water with hydrogen peroxide (or some other oxidizing agents), TAML activators produce exceptionally strong oxidizing systems that generally perform rapidly and are capable of large turnover numbers. The reaction chemistry is usually highly efficient in hydrogen peroxide use and appears to be primarily non-radical in nature. We design ways to kinetically isolate the various steps in the complex catalytic cycle and then measure the rate behavior as we work to construct a full quantitative picture of the catalysis. Students learn how to perform kinetic studies on complex catalytic systems including stopped-flow and conventional techniques.
Developing Potential Applications of Green Oxidation Catalysts
TAML activators do their catalytic work at remarkably low concentrations, low micromolar to nanomolar. By using design understanding informed by mechanistic insight, we have been able to produce variants that oxidize many pollutants in water over a wide range of reaction conditions. The list includes persistent chlorinated phenols, natural and synthetic estrogens, active pharmaceutical agents, dyes and colored lignin fragments, chemical warfare agents, persistent explosives residuals, pesticides, and colored and smelly pollutants from the pulp and paper industry. High performance disinfection of hardy pathogens including bacterial spores and clostridia has also been discovered. Students learn how to follow these processes using a range of analytical techniques.
Publications
Advancing the Sustainability of the Pharmaceutical Industry: TAML/Peroxide Destroys Trace Pharmaceuticals where Unprecedented Efficiencies Increase with Decreasing TAML Concentrations
Xiaowei Ma, Camden R. Johnson, Minerva C. Schafer, Morgan M. van der Linde, Alexander D. Ryabov, and Terrence J. Collins, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2024) Article ASAP; DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c05234
Two Major Pathways in TAML-Catalyzed Degradation of Carbendazim by H2O2: Elimination of a Nitrogen-Rich Benzimidazole Fungicide and Its Parallel Nitration
Hannah C. Frame, Longzhu Q. Shen, Alexander D. Ryabov, and Terrence J. Collins, ACS ES&T Water (2024) 4 (6), 2689-2701; DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.4c00172
European Medicines Agency Conflicts With the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on Bisphenol A Regulation
R Thomas Zoeller, Linda S Birnbaum, Terrence J Collins, Jerrold Heindel, Patricia A Hunt, Taisen Iguchi, Andreas Kortenkamp, John Peterson Myers, Frederick S vom Saal, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M Soto, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 7, Issue 9, September (2023), bvad107, https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvad107
The Conflict between Regulatory Agencies over the 20,000-Fold Lowering of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Bisphenol A (BPA) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
Vom Saal FS, Antoniou M, Belcher SM, Bergman A, Bhandari RK, Birnbaum LS, Cohen A, Collins TJ, Demeneix B, Fine AM, Flaws JA, Gayrard V, Goodson WH 3rd, Gore AC, Heindel JJ, Hunt PA, Iguchi T, Kassotis CD, Kortenkamp A, Mesnage R, Muncke J, Myers JP, Nadal A, Newbold RR, Padmanabhan V, Palanza P, Palma Z, Parmigiani S, Patrick L, Prins GS, Rosenfeld CS, Skakkebaek NE, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM, Swan SH, Taylor JA, Toutain PL, von Hippel FA, Welshons WV, Zalko D, Zoeller RT. Environ Health Perspect (2024) Apr;132(4):45001. doi: 10.1289/EHP13812. Epub 2024 Apr 9. PMID: 38592230; PMCID: PMC11003459.
An Iron Macrocyclic Complex Containing Four “Hybrid” Pyridinium Amidate/Amidate N-Donors as a Catalyst for Oxidations with Hydrogen Peroxide
Tim Pfister, Tilo Söhnel, Terrence J. Collins, and L. James Wright, Chem. Eur. J. (2023) e202301548 (1 of 11), doi.org/10.1002/chem.202301548.
European Medicines Agency Conflicts With the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on Bisphenol A Regulation
R Thomas Zoeller, Linda S Birnbaum, Terrence J Collins, Jerrold Heindel, Patricia A Hunt, Taisen Iguchi, Andreas Kortenkamp, John Peterson Myers, Frederick S vom Saal, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M Soto, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 7, Issue 9, September (2023), 107, https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvad107
Op-ed: Why is the chemical industry pitting public health against economic growth? EPA oversight is important — so is preventing the US petrochemical industry from expanding with a new generation of toxic projects
Linda S. Birnbaum and Terrence J. Collins, Environmental Health News (2023)
The Mechanism of Formation of Active Fe-TAMLs Using HClO Enlightens Design for Maximizing Catalytic Activity at Environmentally Optimal, Circumneutral pH
Parameswar Pal, Marcus C. Schafer, Michael P. Hendrich, Alexander D. Ryabov, Terrence J. Collins, Inorg. Chem. (2023), 62, 14, 5586–5592; https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.3c00104
On TAML Catalyst Resting State Lifetimes: Kinetic, Mechanistic, and Theoretical Insight into Phosphate-Induced Demetalation of an Iron(III) Bis(sulfonamido)bis(amido)-TAML Catalyst
Hannah C. Frame; Longzhu Q. Shen; Alexander D. Ryabov; Terrence J. Collins Inorg. Chem. (2023), 62, 2, 639–647 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c03854
Are endocrine disrupting chemicals driving down birth rates in Asia?
Le Ye Lee, Shanna H. Swan, Terry Collins, Pete Myers, Seeram Ramakrishna, Springer-Nature Sustainability Community, https://sustainabilitycommunity.springernature.com/posts/are-endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-driving-down-birth-rates-in-asia
Transformative Catalysis Purifies Municipal Wastewater of Micropollutants
Yogesh Somasundar, Minkyu Park, Kevin D. Daniels, Genoa R. Warner, Alexander D. Ryabov, Shane A. Snyder, and Terrence J. Collins, ACS EST Water (2021), 1, 9, 2155–2163 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsestwater.1c00213
Detoxification of oil refining effluents by oxidation of naphthenic acids using TAML catalysts
Angela Pinzón-Espinosa,Terrence J. Collins,Rakesh Kanda, Science of The Total Environment (2021), 784:14714 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147148
Quantifying evolving toxicity in the TAML/peroxide mineralization of propranolol
Yogesh Somasundar, Abigail E. Burton, Matthew R. Mills, David Z. Zhang, Alexander D. Ryabov, Terrence J. Collins, IScience, 24 (2021), 101897, January 22: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2020.101897
Predicting Properties of Iron(III) TAML Activators of Peroxides from Their III/IV and IV/V Reduction Potentials or a Lost Battle to Peroxidase
Yogesh Somasundar, Longzhu Q. Shen, Alexis G. Hoane, Evan Z. Kaaret, Genoa R. Warner, Alexander D. Ryabov, Terrence J. Collins, Chem. Eur. J. (2020), 26, 14738-14744: https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202003535
Kinetics of catalytic oxidation of the potent aquatic toxin microcystin-LR by latest generation TAML activators
Hannah C. Frame, Yogesh Somasundar, Genoa R. Warner, Alexander D. Ryabov & Terrence J. Collins (2020) Journal of Coordination Chemistry (2020), 73:17-19, 2613-2620: https://doi.org/10.1080/00958972.2020.1840562
Appointments
| Years | Position |
|---|---|
| 2010–present | Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University |
| 2001–2010 | Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University |
| 1988–1992 | Associate Professor of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University |
| 1981–1987 | Assistant Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology |
| 1978–1980 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University |
Awards and Distinctions
| Years | Award |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards |
| 2021 | Start-ups to Watch (Sudoc) |
| 2018 | The Environment Award, Carnegie Science Center |
| 2013 | Fellow, American Chemical Society |
| 2010 | Heinz Award for the Environment |
| 2008 | Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand |
| 2008 | Charles E. Kaufman Award of the Pittsburgh Foundation |
| 2007 | Award of the New York Metropolitan Catalysis Society |
| 2007 | Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Auckland, New Zealand |
| 2006 | Fellow of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists |
| 2004 | Pittsburgh Award of the American Chemical Society |
| 2004 | Award of the Baylor University ACS Students Affiliates for Outstanding Achievements in Green chemistry |
| 2002 | Golden Goggles Award, Middle Tennessee State University |
| 2001 | Honorary Professor, University of Auckland, 2001 |
| 1998 | Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award |
| 1997 | Award of the Japanese Society of Pure and Applied Coordination Chemistry |
| 1997 | Award of the Japanese Society of Pure and Applied Coordination Chemistry |
| 1986 | Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow |
| 1985 | Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar |