The Webb page
Welcome to the Webb research group page!
We are situated at Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta. Here at MRU we focus on undergraduate research.
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The aim is for students who graduate and come from the Webb lab to be competent, confident, and independent in their abilities. We research new and exciting compounds inspired by nature with the goal to make the field of organometallic chemistry more sustainable. There are several projects running at the moment, see the projects section for more details.
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A student in the Webb lab will learn unique and relevant synthetic chemistry techniques and procedures that are used in industry and research laboratories.
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See what the research group is up to with our latest updates!
Latest Updates
Projects
There are several projects for any eager student to be involved with. All that is needed an eager and enthusiastic mindset
Ligands & Natural Products
Towards green and sustainable organometallic chemistry.
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The current goals have focused on working with ligand systems that model natural products, generating synthetic methodologies that can be used for natural products as sustainable starting materials.
Currently, model systems have been developed for phenol and pyrimidine containing natural products for implementation with cannabinoids and adenine derivatives. Complexation reactions with the model systems are underway and hold promise as catalysts and pharmaceuticals.
Material Science
In collaboration with Dr. Nicoleta Nedelcu, a fruitful research project has emerged regarding the development of piezoelectric materials.
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Currently the research has involved lead zirconate titanate and quartz crystal resonators are deposited on conductive materials, such as indium tin oxide, to produce devices. Their composition and properties are being explored. Students at MRU have been involved with spectroscopy and dissemination of this work.
Chemistry Education
Exploring pedagogy, teaching practices, and assessments, Dr. Webb has become involved with the field of chemistry education.
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Currently, research has involved the evaluation of laboratory competency; with the development of a robust set of synthetic procedures that can better assess a student's laboratory skills.