
Joseph Thrasher
Professor Emeritus
Education
- Visiting Assistant Professor, Clemson University, 1983
- DFG Research Fellowship, Freie Universität Berlin, 1982
- PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1981
- BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1978
Bio
Dr. Thrasher’s research interests are in the areas of preparation, characterization, and utility of novel sulfur-fluorine compounds; industrial fluorine chemistry including fluoropolymer chemistry and electrochemistry; fluorine-containing molten salts/ionic liquids; fluorous media for improved separations and catalysis; fuel cell technology; development of new analytical methodologies in fluorine chemistry; and computational chemistry. Current projects are aimed at:
- Synthetic and theoretical studies of hypervalent sulfur-fluorine compounds, including tris(pentafluorosulfanyl)amine and its derivative chemistry.
- New pentafluorosulfanyl benzenes: precursors for novel monomers, explosives, and biologically-active compounds.
- A study of the utility of the pentafluorosulfanyl group in medicinal chemistry including SF5-containing amino acids as enzyme inhibitors, etc.
- Preparation and characterization of the sulfur tetrafluoride derivatives SF3CF2H and SF3CH2F: potential precursors to SF2=CF2 and SF2=CHF, respectively.
- The use of the SF5 group in materials applications.
- Thiapyrylium fluoride: a computational and preparative study.
- Pentafluorosulfanyl anion, radical, and cation and the related chlorotetrafluorosulfanyl species: approaches to the synthesis of SF4Cl2.
- Novel catalysts and halogen exchange media for CFC alternatives and related chemistry.
- Surface spectroscopic investigations of perfluoroalkylpolyethers in terms of solving research problems in materials for information technology.
- The analysis of fluoro and oxo-fluoro anions by ion chromatography.
- Applications of microscopy (optical to scanning tunneling) and other modern ex-situ and in-situ techniques to the study of Simons electrochemical fluorination.
- Photoabsorption and variable-energy photoelectron spectroscopy of highly oxidized phosphorus and sulfur compounds: exploration of bonding in hypervalent species.
Selected Publications
Articles
“Improved thermal stability of perfluoropolyalkylethers (PFPAEs).” Howell, J. L.; Friesen, C. M.; Shtarov, A. B.; Thrasher, J. S.; Waterfeld, A.; Perez, E. W.; Sullivan, J. F. J. Synth. Lubr. 24, 227-234 (2007).
“Low-temperature fluorination of fluoro-containing polymers.” Allayarov, S. R.; Konovalova, T. A.; Waterfield, A.; Focsan, A. L.; Jackson, V.; Craciun, R.; Kispert, L. D.; Thrasher, J. S.; Dixon, D. A. J. Fluorine Chem. 127, 1294-1301 (2006).
“A convenient and efficient method for incorporation of pentafluorosulfanyl (SF5) substituents into aliphatic compounds.” Dolbier, W. R.; Ait-Mohand, S.; Schertz, T. D.; Sergeeva, T. A.; Cradlebaugh, J. A.; Mitani, A.; Gard, G. L.; Winter, R. W.; Thrasher, J. S. J. Fluorine Chem. 127, 1302-1310 (2006).
“Pentafluoronitrosulfane, SF5NO2.” Lu, N.; Thrasher, J. S.; von Ahsen, S.; Willner, H.; Hnyk, D.; Oberhammer, H. Inorg. Chem. 45, 1783-1788 (2006).
“Synthesis of the long sought after compound pentafluoronitrosulfane, SF5NO2.” Lu, N.; Kumar, H. P. S.; Fye, J. L.; Blanks, J. S.; Thrasher, J. S.; Willner, H.; Oberhammer, H. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 45, 938-940 (2006).
“Studies of the thermal behavior of Nafion membranes treated with aluminum(III).” Sun, L.; Thrasher, J. S. Polym. Degrad. Stability 89, 43-49 (2005).
“The preparation of primary poly-hexafluoropropylene oxide halides (poly-HFPO-CF2X where X = I, Br, Cl and F).” Howell, J. L.; Lu, N.; Perez, E. W.; Friesen, C. M.; Novak, I.; Waterfeld, A.; Thrasher, J. S., J. Fluorine Chem., 125, 1513-1518 (2004).
“New 4-pentafluorosulfanyl and 4-perfluoroalkylthio derivatives of 1-chloro-2-nitro- and 1-chloro-2,6-dinitrobenzenes.” Sipyagin, A. M.; Enshov, V. S.; Kashtanov, S. A.; Bateman, C. P.; Mullen, B. D.; Tan, Y.-T.; Thrasher, J. S., J. Fluorine Chem., 125, 1305-1316 (2004).
“Crystal and molecular structures of the pentafluorosulfanyl compounds, SF5X (X = -NC, -CN, -NCO, -NCS and -NCCl2) by X-ray diffraction at low temperature. Buschmann, J.; Lentz, D.; Luger, P.; Perpetuo, G.; Preugschat, D.r; Thrasher, J. S.; Willner, H.; Wölk, H.-J., Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., 630(7), 1136-1142 (2004).
Book
Inorganic Fluorine Chemistry: Toward the 21st Century; Thrasher, J. S.; Strauss, S. H., Eds.; American Chemical Society Symposium Series 555; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC (1994).
Patents
Cicha, W. V.; Kornath, A. J.; McKinney, R. J.; Rao, V. N. M.; Thrasher, J. S.; Waterfeld, A. “Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, their preparation and use,” U. S. Patent 5,773,637, 1998. St. Clair, T. L.; St. Clair, A. K.; Thrasher, J. S. “1,3-Diamino-5-pentafluorosulfanylbenzene,” U.S. Patent 5,200,070, 1993.