ANITA ADJOA OPPONG

Senior Lecturer

Contact info aoppong-quaicoe@ug.edu.gh

About

A synthetic organic chemist who designs and builds small molecules and designs synthetic methods for making these building blocks. Her area of focus is the transformation of natural products into manufacturable products. Her recent interests include developing lead compounds for drug discovery from plant natural products, as well as designing a database for these Natural products. She is also developing natural products-based UV-reflective materials and identifying blue light-emitting compounds from endophytic marine fungi for the construction of OLEDs. Dr Oppong joined the University as a research assistant at the Department of Chemistry, University of Ghana on August 1st, 2013 after completing her MPhil.  She rejoined the University as a Lecturer in the same department in 2019. She is a member of the American Chemical Society, Ghana Chemical Society and Women in Chemistry Network. Dr Oppong has contributed towards the development of Science education at all levels in Ghana. She has been one of the Quiz Mistress of the Ghana National Science & Mathematics Quiz TV Programme since 2019. She also serves as a Facilitator for Smart Girls' Club, a vacation science club organised for girls in basic schools and a mentor for WomenTrust Ghana, Mentoring Ghana and Baobab Mentoring Africa. 

Education

Ph.D.: Synthetic Organic Chemistry University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA 

M. Phil.: Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra              

B.Sc.: Chemistry, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra

Research Interest

  1. Drug discovery and synthesis
  2. Identification of organic blue emitters for fabrication of OLED. 
  3. Formulation of organic-based UV-reflective materials
  4. Synthesis of organic composite materials. 
  5. Development of new synthetic methods 

Publications

  1.  Anan, J., Fosu E.A., Obuah, C., Hamenu, L., Aniagyei, A., Oppong, A., Ainooson, M.K., and Muller. A., A DFT and TD-DFT studies of the photosensitizing capabilities of thiophene-based dyes. Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, Volume 1237, 2024, 114633, ISSN 2210-271X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comptc.2024.114633.
  2. Fosu E.A., Obuah, C., Hamenu, L., Aniagyei, A., Oppong, A., Ainooson, M.K., and Muller. A. Theoretical studies on the reaction mechanisms of the oxidation of tetramethylethylene using MO3Cl (M=Mn, Tc and Re). J Mol Graph Model. 2023 120:108419. doi: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108419.
  3. Amoah C, Obuah C, Ainooson M. K., Hamenu L., Oppong A., Muller A., A new sulfonamide-based chemosensor for potential fluorescent detection of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions, Tetrahedron, 2023, 133276, ISSN 0040-4020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tet.2023.133276. 
  4. Fosu E.A., Obuah, C., Hamenu, L., Aniagyei, A., Oppong, A., Ainooson, M.K., and Muller, A. A DFT study on the reaction mechanisms of the oxidation of ethylene mediated by technetium and manganese oxo complexes. J Mol Model, 2022,      28(4):94. doi: 10.1007/s00894-022-05092-0. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35314884/
  5. Rigsby, C.M., M. Body, A. May, A. Oppong, A. Kostka, N. Houseman, S. Savage, E.R. Whitney, I.G. Kinahan, B. DeBoef, C.M. Orians, H.M. Appel, J.C. Schultz, and E.L. Preisser. Impact of chronic stylet-feeder infestation on folivore-induced signaling and defenses in a conifer. Tree Physiology, 2021, 41 (3), 416–427, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpaa136
  6. Kinahan, I., Rigsby C.M., Savage, S.K.,  Houseman, N.,  Marsella, A. S., Oppong-Quaicoe, A., DeBoef, B.L., Orians, C.M. and Preisser E.L.,  Seasonal changes in eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) foliar chemistry, Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2020, 50(6): 557-564.  https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfr-2019-0408
  7. Oppong-Quaicoe, A. and DeBoef B.L., Iron mediated tertiary allylic alcohol rearrangement. ACS Omega, 2019, 4 (3), 6077-6083, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.9b00163
  8. Amissah, J, N Spiller, M., Oppong, A.,  Osei-Safo D., Owusu-Darko R., Debener T., Danquah E.Y., Addae-Mensah I., Genetic diversity and Cryptolepine concentrations of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lintl). Singh. Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.  2016, 3 (1), 34-41. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214786115300231