Dr. William Kelly was a Professor of Chemistry at SWOSU specializing Organic Chemistry from 1994 to 2024. He is now a Faculty Emeriti.
EDUCATION
1975 – B.S. Chemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
1981 – Ph.D. Chemistry, Dartmouth College
1994 – Began teaching at SWOSU
2007-2015 – Chair of Chemistry & Physics at SWOSU
2024 – Retired from SWOSU
Dr. William (Bill) J. Kelly was born in Boston, MA. He received his B.S with Distinction in Chemistry in 1975 from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was awarded the Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Dartmouth College in 1981. Dr. Kelly began the first of his 38 years of experience teaching at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. While there, Bill was introduced to Robin, the love of his life, on a blind date. They were married in 1990. Bill left Western Michigan University in 1994 and traveled west to Weatherford, Oklahoma.
Dr. Kelly has taught nine different chemistry courses during his time at SWOSU but still believes that Organic Chemistry rules! He is a research mentor for undergraduate chemistry students and has guided the research of 43 different students. Dr. Kelly is the author of 16 research papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has also made nearly 40 research presentations at national and regional professional meetings.
Areas of research and technical expertise include investigations into long-range nuclear magnetic interactions in molecules, mechanistic investigations of electron-transfer free-radical chain substitution reactions, the synthesis of novel ruthenium and osmium organometallic complexes, ab initio computational modeling of open-shell molecular structures and computational investigations into the prooxidant capacity of common antioxidant vitamins.
Professor Kelly was an associate member of The University of Oklahoma Cancer Institute and member of a consortium of researchers consisting of faculty from Oklahoma State University and The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center developing and investigating new cancer chemotherapeutic and chemo preventive drugs, one of which is currently in National Cancer Institute Phase II clinical trials.
When not in class, his office or in the lab, Bill can be found either at the pistol range or with Robin, walking their dog, Atlas.
TEACHING: BASIC COURSES
CHEM 1004L Gen Chem Lab
CHEM 1252 Gen Chem I Lab
CHEM 1352 Gen Chem II Lab
TEACHING: ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
CHEM 3013/3015 Org Chem I
CHEM 3111/3015L Org Chem I Lab
CHEM 4113/4115 Org Chem II
CHEM 4021/4115L Org Chem II Lab
CHEM 4554/L Advanced Organic Spectroscopy/Lab
CHEM 4900 Seminar Attendance CHEM 4901 Senior Seminar
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Kelly W. “Computational Evaluation of Benzene-Chlorine Atom Complexation”, J.Comp. Chem., 2002, 23(11), 1129-1132.
W.J. Kelly*, E.B. Smith and J.A. Amanfu, “Novel Homoaromatic Metallocenes: The Synthesis, Structure and Properties of (Bicyclo[2.2.1]octa-2,5-dienyl)(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) ruthenium (II)}. J. Organomet Chem., 238, 113 (1994)
W.J. Kelly* and S.I. Chen, “Carbanions Which Function Both as Electron-Transfer Agents and Hydrogen Atom Donors: A New Electron -Transfer Chain REaction,” J. Org. Chem., 53, 1830 (1988).
W.J. Kelly, G.W. Gribble, and D.J. Keavy, “Unexpected Regio-selective Diels-Alder Cycloaddiction Reactions Between 3-Fluoro-benzyne and 2-Alkylfurans,” Tetrahedron Letters, 29, 6227 (1988).
