Tamara Hamilton, Ph.D

Professor of Chemistry and Executive Director of Research Integrity & Grants Administration

Tamara Hamilton, Ph.D Professor of Chemistry and Executive Director of Research Integrity & Grants Administration

thamilton@barry.edu

Education

Ph.D In Chemistry, University Of Iowa, 2005
B.SC.(H) In Chemistry, Acadia University, 2001

Areas of Interest

Mechanochemical synthesis of porphyrins
Metal-organic polyhedra with porphyrin walls
Supramolecular chemistry - assembling structures using non-covalent bonds
Green chemistry - developing synthetic procedures that are more environmentally friendly

Biography

Joined Barry: August 2008

Courses

CHE 111, 111L General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis with Lab, I
CHE 112, 112L General Chemistry and Qualitative Analysis with Lab, II
CHE 135, 135L Consumer Chemistry with Lab (Service-Learning course)
CHE 360, 360L Inorganic Chemistry
CHE 400 (with Dr. Giannotti) Special Topics - Solid State and Materials Science
CHE 400 Special Topics – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CHE 490 Senior Seminar (Service-Learning course)

Selected Research Publications

Silverman, D. M., Destin, M., Hamilton, T. D., Zajickova, Z., Bingham, S., & Callaghan, K. A. (2026). Strength-based learning groups support educators to create equitable learning environments for economically marginalized students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 118(6), 1013–1034. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000993
"Extending mechanochemical porphyrin synthesis to bulkier aromatics: tetramesitylporphyrin" Su, Q.; Hamilton, T. D. Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 1149–1153. doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.111
"Two-step Mechanochemical Synthesis of Porphyrins" Shy, H.; Mackin, P.; Orvieto, A. S.; Gharbharan, D.; Peterson, G. R.; Bampos, N.; Hamilton, T. D. Faraday Discuss. 2014, 170, 59-69.
"Thixotropic Hydrogel Derived from a Product of an Organic Solid-State Synthesis: Properties and Densities of Metal-Organic Nanoparticles" Hamilton, T. D.; Bučar, D.-K.; Baltrusaitus, J.; Flanagan, D. R.; Li, Y.; Ghorai, S.; Tivanski, A. V.; MacGillivray, L. R. J. Am. Chem Soc. 2011, 133, 3365-3371.
"Onion-Shell Metal-Organic Polyhedra (MOPs): A General Approach to Decorate the Exteriors of MOPs Using Principles of Supramolecular Chemistry" T. D. Hamilton, G. S. Papaefstathiou, T. Friščić, D.-K. Bučar, and L. R. MacGillivray. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008 130, 14366-14367.

Selected Conference Presentations

Tamara D. Hamilton “Mechanochemical synthesis of porphyrins – bulky substituents, diarylporphyrins and “scrambling”. Presented at Canadian Societies for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 2026 Conferences and Exhibition, Toronto, ON 2026.
Tamara D. Hamilton “Mechanochemical Synthesis of Tetra- and Di-substituted Porphyrins”. Presented at 45th International Conference of Coordination Chemistry in Fort Collins, CO, 2024.
Tamara D. Hamilton “Community science academy: Transforming students, transforming neighborhoods”. Presented at ACS Spring 2023 National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, 2022.
Tamara D. Hamilton and Shanika Kingston “Green Chemistry Metrics for Evaluating Mechanochemical Synthesis in an Undergraduate Lab” Presented at 23^rd Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference and 9^th International. Conference on Green & Sustainable Chemistry, Reston, VA, 2019.
Tamara D. Hamilton Qiwen Su, and Diana Cordero "Mechanochemical Synthesis of Porphyrins with Bulky meso-substituents". Presented at the 255th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 2018.
Tamara D. Hamilton "Service-learning Programs for Chemistry Majors and General Education Students". Presented at the 255th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 2018.
Tamara D. Hamilton "In or Out? Inorganic Chemistry Curriculum at Barry University". Presented at the 252nd ACS National Meeting , Philadelphia, PA, 2016.
Tamara D. Hamilton "Mechanochemical steps to solvent-free porphyrin synthesis". Presented at the International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2015.
Tamara D. Hamilton, Paula Mackin, Hannah Shy "Two-Step Mechanochemical Synthesis of Porphyrins" Presented at Faraday Discussion 170 Mechanochemistry: from functional solids to single molecules, Montreal, Canada, 2014.

Honors / Awards

Service-Learning Faculty Award from the Center for Community Service Initiatives, Barry University, 2014.
Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, 2010-2013.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Post-Doctoral Fellowship, 2006-2007
ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigator Award, Solid State Subdivision, 2005
Margaret C. Etter Student Lecturer Award from the American Crystallographic Association, 2005

Professional Memberships

American Chemical Society
American Crystallographic Association
International Union of Crystallography

Research Publications

Welcome to the Hamilton Research Group at Barry University! Research in the group is performed entirely by undergraduates, who learn techniques including organic synthesis, solid-state chemistry, synthesis of air-sensitive materials, column chromatography, self-assembly, coordination chemistry, green chemistry, crystallization, NMR, UV/Vis spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and analysis of X-ray crystallographic data.

Our research program has two goals:

Development of more environmentally benign syntheses of porphyrins using a solvent-free approach called mechanochemistry, where reagents are ground together using a mortar and pestle, or an automated ball mill.
Using exo-dentate porphyrins as ligands in metal-organic assembly metal-organic polyhedra and evaluation of their efficacy as catalysts.

Solvent-free Synthesis of Porphyrins

We combine an aldehyde with pyrrole in the presence of an acid catalyst and grind using a mortar and pestle. After a few minutes grinding, a pink crystalline powder forms. Presence of a porphyrin is confirmed by UV/Vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The mechanochemical process can also be automated using a ball-mill. We have shown that the approach works with a variety of aldehydes, giving yields similar to, or in some cases greater than, those available through traditional solution-based methods (Shy et al. Faraday Discuss. 2014, 170, 59-69). We are currently working on expanding the approach to include aldehydes with bulky R-groups, mixed-aldehyde syntheses, and synthesis of di-substituted porphyrins.

Current and Former Undergraduate Research Students

Lise-Berthe Laurent, current student.
Michaela Reyes, 2020.
Nirva Maxi, 2017. Went on to graduate studies at the University of Georgia.
Diana Cordero, 2017. Went on to graduate studies at MIT. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
Qiwen Su, 2017. Went on to graduate studies at Boston College. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
Suzely Alexis, 2016.
Cindy Molina, 2016. Went on to veterinary school, Michigan State University
Shanika Kingston, 2016. Went on to work as a research associate at the College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University, Arizona.
Taylor Sabol, 2015.
Victoria Hoelscher, 2015. Went on to McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas.
Miriam Basden, 2014. Went on to be a Nursery Wildlife Rehabilitator, South Florida Wildlife Center.
Hannah Shy, 2013.Went on to the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
Deepa Gharbharan, 2013. MS Program Anesthesiology Assistant, Nova Southeastern University.
Paula Mackin, 2013. MS Program Occupational Therapy, Western University, Ontario, Canada.
Meghan Knol, 2012. Went on to University of Michigan Medical School.
Elvis Camacho, 2011. Went on to Columbia University Neuroscience Program.
Cherice Boyce, 2010. Went on to MS Program in Public Health, University of West Indies.
Vanessa Narciso, 2010. Went on to DMD Program, Nova Southeastern University.
Megan Barnes, 2010.
Simon Astor, 2009. Went on to MD Program, Nova Southeastern University.
Frantzesca Belancourt, 2009. Went on to MS Program in Biomedical Sciences, Larkin Health Sciences Institute.
Andrea Orvieto, 2009.