Professor John Burmeister

Inorganic Chemistry

Current Research

Chemical research has been a major interest of mine since joining the University of Delaware faculty in 1964. Indeed, my students and I pioneered the investigation of the coordination chemistry of ambidentate ligands. This has involved the mentorship of 16 Ph.D., 19 M.S. and 45 undergraduate research students, as well as six postdoctoral associates. Our work has produced 116 published research papers and reviews, including the most cited paper ever published in Coordination Chemistry Reviews [3, 222-245 (1968)], as well as one book.

However, since becoming the first (and only) Associate Chair of the department in 1974, my interests have shifted, inexorably, in the direction of chemical education. They have now reached the point at which they are all-encompassing. In the process, I have been on the leading edge of a significant number of pedagogical innovations, including self-paced and computer assisted learning, instructional television and, most recently, instructional cinema.

As Associate Chair, my primary responsibility lies in overseeing our entire undergraduate program, from teaching assignments through scheduling to teacher evaluation. I interface strongly with our graduate program in the areas of TA preparation, assignment, and evaluation. I believe that I have been an effective ombudsman for both undergraduate and graduate students, and welcome contacts for any and all items of mutual concern.

Representative Publications

F. Basolo and J. L. Burmeister “Coordination Complexes,” in McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, (2007) 4, 735 – 737.
F. Basolo and J. L. Burmeister “Coordination Chemistry,” in McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, (2007) 4, 731 – 735.
J. L. Burmeister “An Ode to Self-paced Instruction via the Keller Method,” View From the Front, (2005) 4, 1. http://wulfenite.fandm.edu/view/aview.htm
J. L. Burmeister, Organizing Editor, Volume Honoring Professor Fred Basdo, Chemtracts - Inorganic Chemistry, (2004) 17(10).
F. Basolo and J. L. Burmeister “On Being Well-Coordinated: A Half-Century of Research on Transition Metal Complexes,” World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, (2003).
J. L. Burmeister, Copy Editor “From Coello to Inorganic Chemistry: A Lifetime of Reactions, by Fred Basolo,” Klumer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, (2002).
J. L. Burmeister “Introduction to Volume Honoring Professor Fred Basolo,” Chemtracts-Inorganic Chemistry, (2000) 13, 73 – 75.
J. L. Burmeister “The Modern Academic Scientist:Mentor, CEO, or Welfare Queen in a White Lab Coat?,” Trans. Del. Acad. Sci., (1996) 21, 1 – 11.
J. L. Burmeister, Organizing Editor “Collection of Research Papers Honoring Professor Fred Basolo,” Inorg. Chim. Acta, (1995) 240, 1 – 677.
. L. Illingsworth and J. L. Burmeister “Formation of Nitrogen-Transition- and Inner-Transition- Metal Bonds From Organic Nitrogen Anions Or Their Metallo Derivatives By Metathesis With Transition-Metal Ligands,” Inorganic Reactions and Methods, (1995) 8, 136 – 141.
L. A. Burmeister Boehm and J. L. Burmeister “Formation of Nitrogen-Transition-and Inner-Transition-Metal Bonds From Inorganic Nitrogen-Containing Anions,” Inorganic Reactions and Methods, (1995) 8, 131 – 136.
J. A. Kargol, J. A. Albanese, J. L. Burmeister, “Formation of Nitrogen- Transition- and Inner-Transition-Metal Bonds by Reacting N2O and N2O4 With Transition- and Inner-Transition-Metal Compounds,” Inorganic Reactions and Methods, (1995) 8, 129 – 131.