Dr. David Erwin specializes in inorganic and organometallic chemistry. His research focuses on finding new energy sources through the synthesis of new organometallic compounds to produce fuels, and through the study of catalysts in electromechanical cells as sources of thermal and electrical energy. He gives a popular one-man show on the history of chemistry for campus and visiting school groups.
Academic Degrees
- BS, University of Louisville, 1974
- PhD, California Institute of Technology, 1979
Awards & Honors
Research Experiences
- Synthesis and study of transition metal organometallic complexes as catalysts for new fuels
- Lattice-enhanced nuclear reaction
- Laboratory experiments for general chemistry
Select Publications & Presentations
- Erwin, D.K., Algorithmic Questions for Chemical Principles, Sixth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company, 2009
- Erwin, D.K., Test Bank Questions for General Chemistry, Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company, 2007
- Hall L. and Erwin, D.K., “Synthesis and Study of Bis(decacyclene)chromium,” Butler Undergraduate Research Conference, 2003
- Erwin, D.K., “Connecting Chemistry with Chemicals: Lead(II) Iodide: A Thread Through General Chemistry,” 213th American Chemical Society Meeting, 1997
- Erwin, D.K., “Simple and Inexpensive Kinetics: A Student Laboratory Experiment and Demonstration,” Journal of Chemical Education, 69, 926, 1992
Teaching Interests
- General chemistry
- Inorganic chemistry
- Organometallic chemistry