Forbes Research Group

Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa

Developing novel nanomaterials that provide an enhanced understanding of basic actinide chemistry and the mobility of nuclear materials in environmental systems.

Welcome to the Forbes Research Group!

Recent News:

03/22/2022 Congrats to Samatha for receiving an NSF GRFP!!

03/22/2022 Congrats to Samatha for receiving the University of Iowa Graduate College summer fellowship and post-comprehensive research fellowship!!

03/22/2022 Congrats to Haley Lightfoot for being selected for the ACS Radiochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry Summer School and to Nick Dahlen for making his decision to join the graduate program at MSU next fall!!  Also big win for Maguire Kasperski for getting his dream job doing glacier tours in Alaska ths summer.

03/18/2022 Huge congrats to Dmytro for winning the University of Iowa Graduate Research Excellence Award!!! 

03/14/2022 New publication:  D. V. Kravchuk and T. Z. Forbes "Mechanochemical activation and oxidation of U(iv)O2" https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC00242F 

03/14/2022 Tori has official started as the Director of the University of Iowa MATFab facility.

03/11/2022 Congrats to Dmytro for being selected for the G. T. Seaborg Institute Graduate Research Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory!

02/28/2022 New publication:  M.M. F. Pyrch, L. J. Augustine, J. A. Williams, S. E. Mason, T. Z. Forbes "Use of vibrational spectroscopy to identify the formation of neptunyl–neptunyl interactions: a paired density functional theory and Raman spectroscopy study" https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/dt/d2dt00200k/unauth

01/14/2022 New publication:  D.V. Kravchuk and T.Z. Forbes, "Mechanochemical synthesis of crystalline U(vi) triperoxide solids" https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/CE/D1CE01479J

01/01/2022 - Welcome to our new graduate students Grant Benthin, Harindu Rajapaksha, Vidumini Samarasiri, and Sarah Scherrer!

12/17/2021 Congrats to Shohel for finishing up his Ph.D.  We will miss you but looking forward to seeing all the great science that you will do as a postdoctoral scholar with with Prof. May Nyman at Oregon State!

12/17/2021 Congrats to Maggie for graduating with a M.S.  Good luck in Colorado!!

12/01/2021 New publication:  J. A. Williams, M. M. Pyrch, D. K. Unruh, T. Z. Forbes "Influence of heterocyclic N-donors onthe structural topologies and vibrational spectra of uranyl selenate phases."  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022459621006642

11/19/2021 - New publication with the Cerrato group:  C. A. Velasco, A. J. Brearley, J.Gonzalez-Estrella, A-M.S. Ali, M. I. Meza, S. E. Cabaniss, B. M. Thomson, T. Z. Forbes, J. S. Lezama Pacheco, J. M. Cerrato "From Adsorption to Precipitation of U(VI): What is the Role of pH and Natural Organic Matter?" https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.1c05429

10/28/2021 - Congrats to Mikaela for receiving the Ballard-Seashore Dissertation Award!!

10/21/2021 - New publication:  M. Shohel, J. A. Smith, M. A. Carolan, and T. Z. Forbes "Thermal Aging of Heteroatom-Substituted Keggin-Type Aluminum Oxo Polycation Solutions: Aggregation Behavior and Impacts on Humic Acid and Turbidity Removal." https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsestwater.1c00196

08/26/2021 - New publication:  D.V. Kravchuk, T. Z. Forbes "Thermodynamics and Chemical Behavior of Uranyl Superoxide at Elevated Temperatures." https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsmaterialsau.1c00033

05/01/2021 - Congrats to Jack Smith and Haley Lightfoot for receiving summer ICRU Fellows!

04/27/2021 - Congrats to Nicholas Dalhen for receiving the Donald J. Burton and Margaret A. Burton Scholarship!!!

04/27/2021 - Congrats to Haley Lightfoot for receiving the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Award.

04/14/2021 - New Publication: D.V. Kravchuk, N. N. Dahlen, S. J. Kruse, C. D. Malliakas, P. M. Shand, T. Z. Forbes "Isolation and reactivity of Uranyl superoxide."  https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202103039

02/08/2021 - New Publication with the Mason Group:  J. L Bjorklund, M. Shohel, J. W Bennett, J. A Smith, M. E Carolan, E. Hollar, T. Z Forbes, S. E Mason "Density functional theory and thermodynamics analysis of MAl12 Keggin substitution reactions: Insights into ion incorporation and experimental confirmation." https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0038962

01/22/2021 - New Publication with the Mason Group (Hot Article):  M. Shohel, J. L. Bjorklund, J. A. Smith, D. V. Kravchuk, S. E. Mason, T. Z. Forbes  "Formation of Nanoscale [Ge4O16Al48(OH)108(H2O)24]20+ from Condensation of ϵ‐GeAl128+ Keggin Polycations."  https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202017321

01/15/2021 -  New Publication: A. A. Peroutka, M. M. Pyrch, J. M. Williams, M. K. Payne, T.Z. Forbes "Exploring competitive metal binding and crystallization of UO22+ and Cu2+ tetrahydrofuran-2,3,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid complexes." https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2020.114904

12/10/2020 -  New publication: A. Blanes Diaz, D. V. Kravchuk, A. A. Peroutka, E. Cole, M. C. Basile, T. Z. Forbes "Photoinduced Transformation of Uranyl Nitrate Crown Ether Compounds" https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.202000705

07/19/2020 - New publication with the Mason Group:  M. Shohel, J. L. Bjorklund, E. A. Ovrom, S. E. Mason, Tori Z. Forbes "Ga3+ Incorporation into Al13 Keggin Polyoxometalates and the Formation of (GaAl12)7+ and (Ga2.5Al28.5)19+ Polycations."  DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c00743

07/08/2020 - New publication with the Cramer Group:  M. Shohel, N.E. B McAdams, B. D. Cramer, T. Z. Forbes. "Ontogenetic variability in crystallography and mosaicity of conodont apatite: implications for microstructure, palaeothermometry and geochemistry."  DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200322

06/17/2020 - Congrats to Mikaela for winning the 2020 Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D Award from the Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Technology Research and Development! 

 

  • Interactions between H-donors and U(VI) and Np(V) oxo groups impact the thermal expansion properties. (Payne et al. 2018)

    Interactions between H-donors and U(VI) and Np(V) oxo groups impact the thermal expansion properties. (Payne et al. 2018)

  • If you are interested in conducting graduate work in actinide chemistry, contact Dr. Forbes

    If you are interested in conducting graduate work in actinide chemistry, contact Dr. Forbes

  • Autoxidation of benzaldehyde in presence of U(VI) affords the in-situ generation of peroxide (Kravchuk and Forbes, 2019)

    Autoxidation of benzaldehyde in presence of U(VI) affords the in-situ generation of peroxide (Kravchuk and Forbes, 2019)

  • Undergraduate researchers work with Graduate mentors to synthesize new materials

    Undergraduate researchers work with Graduate mentors to synthesize new materials

  • If you are interested in undergraduate research, contact Dr. Forbes

    If you are interested in undergraduate research, contact Dr. Forbes

  • Uranium metal-organic nanotube contains confined water molecules in a hexagonal array. (Unruh et. al. 2013)

    Uranium metal-organic nanotube contains confined water molecules in a hexagonal array. (Unruh et. al. 2013)

  • The view of the Iowa River from the lab.

    The view of the Iowa River from the lab.

  • Exploring uranyl citrate complexes using Raman spectroscopy (Basile et al., 2015)

    Exploring uranyl citrate complexes using Raman spectroscopy (Basile et al., 2015)

  • Np(VI) oxidation state stabilized in the presence of functionalized crown ether (Pyrch et al., 2019).

    Np(VI) oxidation state stabilized in the presence of functionalized crown ether (Pyrch et al., 2019).

  • Crystallization of Np(V) tetrachlorides over Np (VI) species occurs with charge assisted hydrogen bonding (Pyrch et al., 2020)

    Crystallization of Np(V) tetrachlorides over Np (VI) species occurs with charge assisted hydrogen bonding (Pyrch et al., 2020)