Chemistry

• Sarah Kirk
• Associate Professor of Chemistry
• Collins Science Center 302
• 503-370-6902
• skirk@willamette.edu

Sarah Kirk

Education

• B.A., Whitman College; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

Courses

• Chem. 110 Chemical Concepts and Applications
• Chem. 115 Introductory Chemistry I
• Chem. 116 Introductory Chemistry II
• Chem. 225 Organic Chemistry I
• Chem. 226 Organic Chemistry II
• Chem 228 Organic Chemistry II: Bioorganic emphasis
• Chem 430 Advanced Topics: Bioorganic Chemistry
• Chem 431 Advanced Topics in Biochemistry
• Chem 495 Senior Research Projects I

Professional Interests

Design and synthesis of amino acid conjugates of aminoglycoside antibiotics; investigation of binding between nucleic acid and novel molecules; defining of essential elements within molecules that dictate nucleic acid specificity.

Personal Interests

Singing, hiking, camping, skiing and soccer

Publications

• T. Strassmaier, S.R. Kirk, T. Banerji, and J.W. Karpen, “Block of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels by tetracaine derivatives: role of apolar interactions at two distinct locations” Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 18, 645-649 (2008).
• Kirk, S.R.; Silverstein, T.P.; Holman, K. L. M, “Metal Catalyzed Cleavage of tRNA^Phe” J. Chem. Educ., 85, 676-677. (2008).
• Kirk, S.R.; Silverstein, T.P.; Holman, K. L. M, “UV Thermal Melting Curves of tRNA^Phe in the Presence of Ligands” J. Chem. Educ., 85, 674-675 (2008).
• Kirk, S.R.; Silverstein, T.P.; Holman, K. L. M., “Fluorescence Spectroscopy of tRNA^Phe Y Base in the Presence of Mg²⁺ and Small Molecule Ligands” J. Chem. Educ. 85, 678-679. (2008).
• Kirk, S.R.; Silverstein, T.P.; McFarlane Holman, K.L.; Taylor, B.H., “Probing Changes in the Conformation of tRNA^Phe: An Integrated Biochemistry Laboratory Course” J. Chem. Ed., 85, 666-673 (2008).
• S.R. Kirk, T.P. Silverstein, and J.J. Willemsen, "Teaching Biologically Relevant Chemistry Throughout the Four-Year Chemistry Curriculum" J. Chem. Ed. 83, 1171-1175 (2006).
• S.R. Kirk, N.W. Luedtke, and Y. Tor, "2-Aminopurine as a Real-Time Probe of Enzymatic Cleavage and Inhibition of Hammerhead Ribozymes" Bioorg. Med. Chem. 9, 2295-2301 (2001).
• S.R. Kirk, N.W. Luedtke, and Y. Tor, "Neomycin? Acridine Conjugate: A Potent Inhibitor of Rev-RRE Binding" J.Am. Chem. Soc. 122, 980-981, (2000).
• S.R. Kirk and Y. Tor, "tRNAPhe Binds Aminoglycoside Antibiotics" Bioorg. Med. Chem. 7, 1979-1991, (1999).
• S.R. Kirk and Y. Tor, "Hydrolysis of an RNA Dinucleoside Monophosphate by Neomycin B" Chem Commun. 147-149, (1998).