Research conducted by Dr. Ojala and his students is focused on the organic solid state, aiming for a more complete understanding of the structures and reactivities of crystalline organic compounds. Using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Dr. Ojala and his students determine the crystal structures of a variety of organic compounds to examine the role of intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding, halogen bonding, and Lewis acid-base interactions in defining their solid-state molecular packing arrangements and, in applicable cases, their solid-state chemistry. Data sets are collected in the X-ray Crystallographic Laboratory of the University of Minnesota Chemistry Department, and the crystal structures are solved, refined, and analyzed by students of Dr. Ojala in his laboratory at the University of St. Thomas. Research topics currently pursued by the Ojala group include polymorphism, isostructuralism, and solid-state phase transitions; compounds currently under study include benzonitrile oxides, monosaccharide derivatives, and “bridge-flipped” isomeric benzylideneanilines and phenylhydrazones.
If you are interested in joining the research group, contact Dr. Ojala at whojala@stthomas.edu.