Faculty Profiles

Richard MacPhail
Richard MacPhail
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Office: 
French Family Science Center, Room 1216, Durham, NC 27708
Phone: 
(919) 660-1536
Fax: 
(919) 660-1605
richard.macphail@duke.edu
Research Interests: 

Dr. MacPhail is a physical chemist whose research has focused on intermolecular interactions and molecular dynamics in disordered condensed phases, especially fluids, as studied through a combination of experiment, computer simulation, and theory. More recently his efforts have mainly been directed toward chemical education, and especially at enhancing the success of students through curricular revisions and through pedagogical innovations that leverage student-centered, collaborative engagement in the classroom.

Overview

Education:

Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley 1981

B.A., Oberlin College 1977

Research Areas:
Physical, Education

Parker Siburt, C. J., et al. “Developing metacognitive and problem-solving skills through problem manipulation.” Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 88, no. 11, Nov. 2011, pp. 1489–95. Scopus, doi:10.1021/ed100891s. Full Text

Pan, X., et al. “Solvent-solute interactions and the Raman CH stretching spectrum of cyclohexane-d11. II. Density dependence in supercritical carbon dioxide.” Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 110, no. 3, Jan. 1999, pp. 1677–86. Scopus, doi:10.1063/1.477809. Full Text

Miller, R. S., and R. A. MacPhail. “Ultraslow nonequilibrium dynamics in supercooled glycerol by stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy.” Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 106, no. 8, Feb. 1997, pp. 3393–401. Scopus, doi:10.1063/1.473068. Full Text

Miller, R. S., and R. A. MacPhail. “Complex dynamics and the stimulated gain spectrum of pentylcyanobiphenyl in the isotropic phase.” Chemical Physics Letters, vol. 241, no. 1–2, July 1995, pp. 121–26. Scopus, doi:10.1016/0009-2614(95)00623-C. Full Text

Remar, G. J., and R. A. MacPhail. “Solvent-solute interactions and the Raman CH stretching spectrum of cyclohexane-d11: I. Solvent-dependence.” The Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 103, no. 11, Jan. 1995, pp. 4381–92. Scopus, doi:10.1063/1.470679. Full Text

Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “High resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectrometer.” Review of Scientific Instruments, vol. 65, no. 1, Dec. 1994, pp. 34–41. Scopus, doi:10.1063/1.1144743. Full Text

Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “Dynamics in supercooled glycerol by high resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy.” The Journal of Chemical Physics, vol. 100, no. 4, Jan. 1994, pp. 2561–70. Scopus, doi:10.1063/1.466503. Full Text

Pan, X., and R. A. MacPhail. “A Raman study of cyclopentane-d9 pseudorotation dynamics as a function of pressuer.” Chemical Physics Letters, vol. 212, no. 1–2, Sept. 1993, pp. 64–70. Scopus, doi:10.1016/0009-2614(93)87108-F. Full Text

MacPhail, R. A., et al. “Variable temperature infrared spectroscopy of cytosine-guanine base pairs: tautomerism versus polarization..” Journal of Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics, vol. 9, no. 5, Apr. 1992, pp. 881–98. Epmc, doi:10.1080/07391102.1992.10507964. Full Text

Variyar, J. E., and R. A. MacPhail. “Pseudorotation and the raman CH stretching spectrum of gaseous cyclopentane-d9: Local modes in a floppy molecule.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry, vol. 96, no. 2, Jan. 1992, pp. 576–84. Scopus, doi:10.1021/j100181a016. Full Text

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