Swarthmore College Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Paul R. Rablen
Associate Professor, Organic Chemistry
Education:
B.A., Haverford College
Ph.D., Yale University
Postdoctoral Scholar, Yale University
Contact information:
Science Center 290
Telephone: (610) 328-8341
FAX: (610) 328-7355
Electronic mail: prablen1@swarthmore.edu
Mailing address: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College,
500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081- 1397
Research in my laboratory focuses on fundamental questions about the
relationship between structure, stability, and reactivity in organic compounds,
and on the mechanistic pathways of organic reactions. These questions are
pursued primarily through the use of ab initio and density functional electronic
structure calculations. These approximate quantum mechanical calculations
yield highly accurate predictions for the energies, geometries, and other
properties of stable compounds, intermediates, and even transition states.
My teaching responsibilities include Organic Chemistry (Chemistry 22 and
32), Advanced Laboratory (Chemistry 50), and Honors General Chemistry (Chemistry
10H), as well as advanced topics in Organic Chemistry (Chemistry 102) and
Spectroscopy (Chemistry 105).