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Dan O'Leary

@doleary47.bsky.social
372 followers 598 following 48 posts

I'm a professor of chemistry at Pomona College in Claremont, California. I teach general and organic chemistry, NMR spectroscopy, and computational chemistry. My research interests span these realms + the history of science + 3D printing pedagogies.

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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Do you calculate isotope effects using electronic structure calculations? Our program PyQuiverHS uses a browser-based workflow to make IE calculations easy. 📄Read the paper (open access): onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 🌐Try PyQuiverHS: www.isotope-effects.com #chemsky #compchemsky
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
PyQuiverHS: A Web Tool for Computing Isotope Effects
PyQuiverHS has been developed as a freely available and open-source web tool, hosted at www.isotope-effects.com for calculating variable-temperature kinetic and equilibrium isotope effects with Bigel...
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Co-authored with @pomonacollege.bsky.social students, our chapter, "Multicolor 3D Printed Orbital Models across the Chemistry Curriculum" joins a terrific lineup in this @pubs.acs.org symposium series volume. Check it out! doi.org/10.1021/bk-2... #chemsky #compchemsky #3Dprint 🧪⚗️🥳
doi.org
3D Printing for Chemical Education: Tools for Active Learning
Integrate 3D Printing into Your Chemistry Classroom and Laboratory. Three-dimensional printing technology offers chemistry educators new ways to engage stu
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Excited to share this set of 40 multicolor 3D-printed molecular orbital models for second-semester organic chemistry classrooms, developed with students @pomonacollege.bsky.social. Article and 3D print files (no paywall): pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/.... #chemsky #compchemsky #3DP #3Dprint #3DModels
pubs.acs.org
3D-Printed Multicolor Molecular Orbital Models for a Second-Semester Organic Chemistry Course
We have developed a set of multicolor 3D-printed molecular orbital models associated with topics taught in a second semester organic chemistry course at Pomona College. The set includes the following: (1) π molecular orbitals (MOs) in benzene; (2) water sp- and p-type lone pair orbitals; (3) valence bond and π-MO models of amide stability and reactivity; (4) formaldehyde (neutral, H+, and Li+ complexes) sp- and p-type lone pair and π/π* orbitals; (5) orbital interactions and the Bürgi–Dunitz angle in a cyanohydrin transition state; (6) acetaldehyde enolate π-MOs; (7) orbital interactions in an enolate alkylation transition state; (8) orbital interactions in a lithium enolate aldol transition state; (9) benzyne πHOMO and π*LUMO orbitals; (10) n−σ* orbital interaction in the water dimer intermolecular hydrogen bond; (11) peptide α-helix structure and n−σ* orbital interaction in an intramolecular i, i + 4 hydrogen bond; (12) anomeric effect (nO–σ*CO orbital interaction) in a carbohydrate model compound. The models provide insights regarding aspects of π molecular orbital theory, stability, reactivity, and mechanistic “arrow pushing”. A hobby-grade five-color 3D fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer is used to make the models, which are sized to provide compact take-home class handouts and kits for each student. The models are fabricated with orbital bisections and text annotations to enhance information content. Student perceptions of this set of 3D-printed molecular models and their use in the classroom are generally favorable. 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) model files are available in the Supporting Information for this article.
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Fischer's discovery of the configuration of (+)-glucose, described differently in organic textbooks, remains for me a must tell story as the semester winds down. Symmetry tests are timeless. This animation illustrates the end group interchange for sorting glucose (3) and mannose (4). #chemsky 🧪🎉
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
The final 3D orbital print of the semester is a sweet one! Organic chemistry students @pomonacollege.bsky.social received a model illustrating the anomeric effect. An unexpected bonus (scroll down) was a visit by Cecil the Sagehen! ##chemsky #compchemsky #3dp 🧪
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Biomolecular 3D orbital prints were featured this week in organic chemistry @pomonacollege.bsky.social! Class members went home with a student-designed alpha helix model showing i, i+4 N-H---O=C hydrogen bond orbital overlap. #chemsky #compchemsky #3dp 🧪
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Monday's 3D print for my organic chemistry class @pomonacollege.bsky.social: an orbital interaction that partly defines the water dimer hydrogen bond. Orbital phases displayed in Pomona-Pitzer colors, appropriate for admitted students day! ELO warming the space. #chemsky #compchemsky #3dp 🧪⚗️🧪
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
These 3D-printed d-orbital models are ready to parachute into an active learning-based general chemistry class @pomonacollege.bsky.social. Some assembly required! #3dp #chemsky #compchemsky 🧪⚗️🧪
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
The aldol reaction was front and center in today's organic class! The orbital prints are a Houk group transition state for a lithium enolate + aldehyde reaction and a @pomonacollege.bsky.social student-designed Burgi-Dunitz print. #chemsky #3dp #compchemsky
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Happy to be participating in the "3D Printing in Chem Ed" symposium at #ACSSpring2025! Attendees will receive a Burgi-Dunitz orbital model designed by a @pomonacollege.bsky.social student. If you miss the talk, visit their poster and pick one up! Details are below. #ChemSky #CompChemSky #3DP 🧪
A chemical reaction between cyanide and formaldehyde and molecular models showing the angle of attack (Burgi-Dunitz) of the nucleophile in the reaction transition state.
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
A few 3D prints from this week's organic chemistry class: an NBO enolate alkylation transition state and a pi MO model for the enolate of acetaldehyde. We reviewed the SN2 reaction and noted the larger "on-C" orbital of the nucleophilic pi2 MO! #ChemSky #CompChemSky #3DP #3Dprint #3DModels #prusa 🧪
Plastic 3D prints of a transition state for an enolate alkylation reaction.Plastic 3D prints of the pi molecular orbitals for the enolate of acetaldehyde.
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Reposted by Dan O'Leary
Conway Group @conway-group.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
If you are attending the Spring ACS Meeting in San Diego, please come and join us on Monday night for a showcase of UCLA research and to meet UCLA students, postdocs, faculty, alumni, and friends! All ACS attendees are welcome! #ChemSky
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Reposted by Dan O'Leary
Vittorio Saggiomo @vsaggiomo.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
We're back!!! First preprint of the year (3 more on the way). Here, we used microalgae to produce a 3D printable resin: Squeeze the oil from the microalgae, a couple of simple reactions (#chemsky), mixy mixy and there you have a strong bioresin. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...
from microagae to a 3D printed designstarting from microalgae oil, we performed two reactions, mix the resulting product with more components and the print and mechanical test the objects. 3D printed tests, the classical rook and one hexagon with the name of the group (BNT)
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Reposted by Dan O'Leary
Stieber Lab @stieberlab.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Happy National Periodic Table Day with this community artwork our Chemunity group created last semester! #chemsky
Periodic table artwork in hallway made from hand painted white tiles with various designs by different people and element symbols and numbers. Tiles are on a black background. Above the table it says “welcome to the chemistry and biochemistry department “ in white font
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
What's on your chemistry building? When Seaver North Laboratory @pomonacollege.bsky.social was being built in the 1960’s, the architects asked a faculty member what sort of sculpture would be emblematic of the field of chemistry.
A sculpture of the molecule twistane on the front of a building at Pomona College.
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Reposted by Dan O'Leary
Paul Robustelli @paulrobustelli.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Proud to share: "Ensemble docking for intrinsically disordered proteins" from Dartmouth undergrad Anjali Dhar 24' and grad student Tommy Sisk. We present ensemble docking strategies for IDPs that, remarkably, seem to work! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Code: github.com/paulrobustel...
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Water lone pair 3D orbital prints made their NBO debut in organic chemistry today at pomonacollege.bsky.social! #ChemSky #CompChemSky #3DP #3Dprint #3DModels 🧪
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Pleased to share this set of ~35 multicolor 3D-printed molecular orbital models for organic chemistry classrooms, developed with students @pomonacollege.bsky.social. Article and 3D print files (no paywall): pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/... #ChemSky #CompChemSky #3DP #3Dprint #3DModels 🧪
pubs.acs.org
Multicolor 3D-Printed Molecular Orbital Models for a First-Semester Organic Chemistry Course
We have developed a set of multicolor 3D-printed structural and molecular orbital models for use in a first-semester organic chemistry course. These models provide visual and tactile insights regarding aspects of organic structure, reactivity, and mechanistic “arrow pushing”. The set includes: 1. orbital models of σ and π bonding in methane and ethylene, 2. σCH–σ*CH hyperconjugation in staggered and eclipsed ethane conformations, 3. LUMO accessibility in SN2 electrophiles and HOMO–LUMO orbital interactions in SN2 transition states, 4. E2 transition state structure and orbital interactions in β-hydrogen removal and π bond formation, 5. σCH–pC hyperconjugation in the ethyl cation, 6. transition state structure and σCH–pC orbital interactions in a carbocation 1,2-hydride shift, 7. late and early, respectively, Br• and Cl• H atom radical abstraction transition state structures and SOMO orbitals, 8. bromonium ion structure and LUMO orbital, 9. protonated epoxide ion and neutral epoxide structures and LUMO orbitals, 10. transition state structure and orbital interactions in a hydroboration reaction, 11. transition state structure and orbital interactions in the lithium aluminum hydride reduction of formaldehyde, and 12. π molecular orbitals in 1,3-butadiene. The prints are made with hobby-grade 5-color 3D fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers and sized to provide compact take-home class handouts for each student or projected in-class with a document camera. Models are fabricated with orbital or electron density surface bisections and text annotations to enhance information content. Student perceptions of this set of 3D-printed molecular models are generally favorable and have improved their understanding of course materials.
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Dan O'Leary @doleary47.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Earlier last year we lost Frank Anet (UCLA), a giant in the field of physical organic chemistry and magnetic resonance. This open-access tribute is a measure of gratitude for a beloved advisor and mentor. Discover his story below! @uclacb.bsky.social #ChemSky 🧪
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
In Memoriam: The Life and Scientific Accomplishments of Frank A. L. Anet (1926–2024)
A memorial review and tribute detailing the life and scientific accomplishments of Frank A. L. Anet, a pioneer of NMR spectroscopy who discovered bedrock principles in organic chemistry and magnetic ...
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