Education and Training and Employment

 

1984	B. Sc. Chemistry	Pfeiffer College (now Pfeiffer University)
1986	Ph.D. Chemistry	University of Toledo in Ohio
1997-1998	Post-Doctoral Fellow	Texas A&M University
1988-1989	Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Teaching and Research Fellow	Trinity University
1989-1992	Assistant Professor of Chemistry	Williams College
1992-1995	Assistant Professor of Chemistry	Appalachian State University
1995-2000	Associate Professor of Chemistry	Appalachian State University
2000-2010	Professor of Chemistry	Appalachian State University
2010-2016	Chair and Professor of Chemistry	East Tennessee State University
2016-present	Professor of Chemistry	East Tennessee State University

Curriculum Vitae

See attached CV

Short bio

I was introduced to chemistry as a young child by my Sunday School teacher who was a College Professor.  We grew beautiful crystals and related this to wonderful chemistry that is present all around us if we pay attention.  As I have continued through life, I have enjoyed sharing my love for chemistry with my students and watching the lightbulb of understanding go on.

Teaching philosophy

I believe that students learn best when the atmosphere is energetic and the teacher is vested in what is being taught.  I love watching the lightbulb of understanding go on in my students.

Courses Taught

CHEM 1110 – General Chemistry Lecture I

CHEM 3110 – Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry

CHEM 4110 – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

CHEM 4611 – Advanced Integrated Laboratory, Dynamics 

CHEM 5110 – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I

CHEM 5142 – Reaction Mechanisms of Coordination Compounds

CHEM 5450 – Advanced Chemistry Laboratory

CHEM 5900 - Independent Study, Crystallography

CHEM 5957 – Special Topics in Chemistry; Practical X-ray Crystallography

Research

Permethrins are low toxicity insecticides which are found naturally in chrysanthemum flowers.  They are used in flea and tick shampoo and also in lice treatments.  Permethrins are highly toxic to insects, but virtually nontoxic to mammals.  Naturally occurring permethrins are heat, pH and light sensitive.  Pyrethroids are the synthetic analogs of permethrins, but are more stable.  Both permethrins and pyrethroids contain cyclopropane, a three-carbon ring which is difficult to synthesize.  Rhodium(II) acetate is a known catalyst for the formation of cyclopropanes.  Unfortunately, rhodium(II) acetate does not catalyze high amounts of cis cyclopropane (the biologically active isomer).  In our group, we synthesize, characterize and investigate the catalytic properties of rhodium(II) acetate analogs towards the goal of making complexes that catalyze the formation of high percentages of cis cyclopropanes.  We characterize our novel rhodium complexes by single crystal X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy.

Selected Publications

# = graduate student

* = undergraduate student   

Cassandra T. Eagle, Kenneth K. Kpogo#, Landon C. Zink*, and Albert E. Smith*, “Tetrakis[m-N-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)acetamidato]- k4N:O; k4O:N-bis[benzonitrile-kN)rhodium(II)](Rh-Rh)” Acta Cryst. 2012, E68(7), m877.

Cassandra T. Eagle, Fredricka Quarshie#, Megan E. Ketron*, Nkongho Atem-Tambe# “cis-Tetrakis(m-N-phenylacetamidato) k4N:O; k4O:N-bis([benzonitrile-kN)rhodium(II)](Rh-Rh)” Acta Cryst. 2013, E69(9), m329.

Cassandra T. Eagle, Nkongho Atem-Tambe#, Kenneth, K. Kpogo#, Jennie Tan*, Fredricka Quarshie#.  (3-Methylbenzonitrile-kN)tetrakis(m-N-phenylacetamidato)-k4N:O;k4O:N-dirhodium(II)(Rh-Rh), Acta Cryst. 2013, E69(12), m639.

Eagle, C. T.; Quarshie, F#; Cook, K. M.; “3-methylbenzonitrile-1 κN-cis-tetrakis[μ-N-(phenyl)acetamidato-1:2κ4N:O;1,2κ4O:N-dirhodium(II)(Rh—Rh),” Acta Cryst. 2014, 70(8), m304.

Eagle, C. T.; Atem-Tambe, N. #; Kpogo, K. K. #; Tan, J.*; Cook, K. M.; Crystal structure of tetrakis[µ-N-(phenyl)acetamidato]-κ4N:O;κ4O:N-bis-[(2-methyl-benzonitrile-κN)dirhodium(II)] (Rh—Rh) Acta Cryst., Section E: Structure Reports Online, 2014, 70(9),  m333-4.

Beauparlant, A. M.*; Eagle, C. T.; Mohseni, R.; McMillen, C. D. Teaching Single Crystal X-Ray Crystallography in the Undergraduate Classroom with Sugar and Epsom Salt. J. Chem. Educ. 2023, 100 (Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society (ACS).  All Rights Reserved.), 336–341. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00795.

Favorite thing about ETSU

Friendliness of the ETSU family