William R. Sponholtz, III, M.S., PH.D.,
President and Founder
of Sponholtz Productions,
Dr. Sponholtz earned a PH.D. in organic synthetic chemistry with an emphasis
in Natural Products Chemistry from Dartmouth College, a M.S. in organic
synthetic chemistry from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a B.S.
degree in chemistry from Pfeiffer College. In addition, Dr. Sponholtz
has studied natural products chemistry and has done research at the
University of Hawaii. Dr. Sponholtz teaches Introductory and Advanced
Placement Chemistry, while offering several other independent studies
courses ranging from screenwriting to multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic
resonance. His research interests include the isolation and structural
determination of bioactive secondary metabolites; i.e., drug discovery,
which earned him the Massachusetts Chemistry Teacher of The Year Award
from the American Institute of Chemists. Dr. Sponholtz and his
students are working with indigenous healers and Shaman located in the
Peruvian rain forest to isolate novel natural products that will have
potential medicinal value. His afternoon research group, which
meets every day after school for several hours, are exposed to various
extraction techniques, chromatographic techniques (including flash,
preparative, thin layer, and high pressure chromatography), and structure
determination techniques as they hunt for novel, bioactive compounds.
Dr. Sponholtz has authored various publications in scientific journals
reporting novel, facile synthetic routes to previously unreported compounds
with potential applications ranging from high-energy high-density explosives
to medicinal compounds. In addition to his teaching and research
interests, Dr. Sponholtz has coached soccer, skiing, and tennis at Cushing
Academy.
Selected list of Publications:
Sponholtz, III, W.R.; Gribble, G.W.;
Bianco, M.A. "Isolation
and structure determination of the cembranoid eunicin from a new genus
of octocoral, Pseudoplexaura." Natural Product Research
(Formerly Natural Product Letters), 2008, 22(15),
441.
Gribble, G.W.; Sponholtz,
III, W.R.; et al. "Novel Indole Chemistry in the Synthesis of Heterocycles."
Current Organic Chemistry, 2005, 9(15), 1493-1520.
Sponholtz, III, W.R.;
et al. "Tandem 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions of Mesoionic 2,4-diphenyl-1,3-oxathiolium-
Gribble, G.W.; Sponholtz,
III, W.R.; Switzer, F.L.; D'Amato, F.J.; Byrne, M.P. Tandem 1,3-Dipolar
Cycloadditions of Munchnones. Syntheses and Molecular Structures
of 10-Azatetracyclo[6.3.0.04,11.0
Sponholtz, III, W.R.;
Pagni, R.M.; Kabalka, G.W.; Green, J.F.; Tan, L.C. Reaction of Vinylboronic
Acids with Iodine on ?-Alumina. J. Org. Chem.
1991, 56, 5700.
"Novel Tandem 1,3-Dipolar
Cycloaddition Reactions of Munchnones. An Approach to Pentaprismane,"
Research talk presented at the 5th American Chemical Society International
Meeting of North America, Cancun, Mexico, 11/97.
"Progress Towards
Diphenylpentaprismane," Research talk presented at the 213th
American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 4/97.
Gribble, G.W.; Sponholtz,
III, W.R.; Switzer, F.L.; Bushweller, H.C.; Reese, M.R.; Bushweller,
J.H.; Buck, J.R.; Cost, G.J.; Fredeldey, Jr., R.P.; Brown, J.H. 1,3-Dipolar
Cycloadditions of Munchnones: Syntheses and Conformational Analysis
of 10-Azatetracyclo [6.3.0.04,11.05,9]undecanes, 209th American Chemical Society National
Meeting, Anaheim, CA, 4/95.
"A Novel Synthetic
Approach to Pentaprismane," presented at Humphry's Symposium,
Burlington, VT, 10/96.