Richard MacPhail | Scholars@Duke

Richard MacPhail
Associate Professor Emeritus of Chemistry

Dr. MacPhail is a physical chemist whose research has focused on intermolecular interactions and molecular dynamics in disordered condensed phases, especially fluids, as studied through a combination of experiment, computer simulation, and theory. More recently his efforts have mainly been directed toward chemical education, and especially at enhancing the success of students through curricular revisions and through pedagogical innovations that leverage student-centered, collaborative engagement in the classroom.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Associate Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2021

Contact Information

Box 90346, Durham, NC 27708-0346
French Family Science Center, Room 1216, Durham, NC 27708
richard.macphail@duke.edu (919) 660-1536

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., University of California - Berkeley 1981
- B.A., Oberlin College 1977
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor of Chemistry, Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1993 - 2021
- Associate Chair in the Department of Chemistry, Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2007 - 2013
- Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Chemistry, Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2010 - 2012
- Assistant Research Professor, Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1991 - 1993
- Assistant Professor, Chemistry, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1984 - 1991
Recognition
In the News
- APR 28, 2014
  
  Helping Students Turn Visions Into Realities
- MAR 27, 2013
  
  'Redshirt' Chemistry Students Score Big
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Siburt, C. J. P., A. N. Bissell, and R. A. MacPhail. “Developing metacognitive and problem-solving skills through problem manipulation.” Journal of Chemical Education 88, no. 11 (2011): 1489–95. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed100891s.
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  - Pan, X., J. C. McDonald, and R. A. MacPhail. “Solvent-solute interactions and the Raman CH stretching spectrum of cyclohexane-d11. II. Density dependence in supercritical carbon dioxide.” Journal of Chemical Physics 110, no. 3 (January 15, 1999): 1677–86. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.477809.
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  - Miller, R. S., and R. A. MacPhail. “Physical aging in supercooled glycerol: Evidence for heterogeneous dynamics?” Journal of Physical Chemistry B 101, no. 43 (October 23, 1997): 8635–41. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp971354o.
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  - Miller, R. S., and R. A. MacPhail. “Ultraslow nonequilibrium dynamics in supercooled glycerol by stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy.” Journal of Chemical Physics 106, no. 8 (February 22, 1997): 3393–3401. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.473068.
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  - Miller, R. S., and R. A. MacPhail. “Complex dynamics and the stimulated gain spectrum of pentylcyanobiphenyl in the isotropic phase.” Chemical Physics Letters 241, no. 1–2 (July 14, 1995): 121–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2614(95)00623-C.
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  - Remar, G. J., and R. A. MacPhail. “Solvent-solute interactions and the Raman CH stretching spectrum of cyclohexane-d11: I. Solvent-dependence.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 103, no. 11 (January 1, 1995): 4381–92. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.470679.
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  - Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “High resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectrometer.” Review of Scientific Instruments 65, no. 1 (December 1, 1994): 34–41. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1144743.
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  - Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “Dynamics in supercooled glycerol by high resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 100, no. 4 (January 1, 1994): 2561–70. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.466503.
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  - Pan, X., and R. A. MacPhail. “A Raman study of cyclopentane-d9 pseudorotation dynamics as a function of pressuer.” Chemical Physics Letters 212, no. 1–2 (September 3, 1993): 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2614(93)87108-F.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., L. D. Williams, D. A. Jones, and B. R. Shaw. “Variable temperature infrared spectroscopy of cytosine-guanine base pairs: tautomerism versus polarization.” Journal of Biomolecular Structure & Dynamics 9, no. 5 (April 1992): 881–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/07391102.1992.10507964.
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  - Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “High-resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy of liquid carbon disulfide: Dependence of the linewidths and peak gain on scattering angle.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 97, no. 1 (January 1, 1992): 19–25. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.463617.
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  - Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “High-resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy of liquid benzene shows no evidence of a "structural transition".” Journal of Physical Chemistry 96, no. 22 (January 1, 1992): 8688–90. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100201a005.
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  - Grubbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “Rotational-translational coupling and asymmetric line shapes in the high resolution stimulated Brillouin gain spectra of liquid carbon disulfide.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 97, no. 12 (January 1, 1992): 8906–14. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.463365.
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  - Variyar, J. E., and R. A. MacPhail. “Pseudorotation and the raman CH stretching spectrum of gaseous cyclopentane-d9: Local modes in a floppy molecule.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry 96, no. 2 (January 1, 1992): 576–84. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100181a016.
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  - Ratanaphruks, K., W. Tandy Grubbs, and R. A. MacPhail. “cw stimulated Brillouin gain spectroscopy of liquids.” Chemical Physics Letters 182, no. 3–4 (August 2, 1991): 371–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/0009-2614(91)80231-L.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and F. C. Monroe. “Frequency-dependent solvent friction and torsional damping in liquid 1,2-difluoroethane.” Chemical Physics 152, no. 1–2 (April 15, 1991): 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/0301-0104(91)80037-I.
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  - Cates, D. A., and R. A. MacPhail. “A Raman study of solvent effects on n-butane: Torsional dynamics, rotational dynamics, and conformational equilibrium.” Journal of Physical Chemistry 95, no. 6 (January 1, 1991): 2209–17. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100159a023.
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  - MacPhail, R. A. “Raman spectroscopic study of reaction dynamics.” Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2 (December 1, 1990). https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/2/S/025.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and J. E. Variyar. “Pseudorotation dynamics in liquid cyclopentane by Raman spectroscopy.” Chemical Physics Letters 161, no. 3 (September 15, 1989): 239–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-2614(89)87067-8.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and D. Kivelson. “Relaxation in supercooled liquids: Similarities between projected and unprojected correlation functions.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 90, no. 11 (January 1, 1989): 6549–54. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.456683.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and R. G. Snyder. “Torsional damping and solvent friction in liquid n-butane: Experimental estimates from Raman spectroscopy.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 91, no. 7 (January 1, 1989): 3895–3902. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.456821.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and D. Kivelson. “Relaxation in supercooled liquids: A generalized hydrodynamic description.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 90, no. 11 (January 1, 1989): 6555–62. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.456322.
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  - Chesnut, D. B., D. Q. Wright, and R. A. MacPhail. “Effects of Torsion on the 13C Chemical Shift in Ethane.” Chem. Phys. Lett. 151 (1988): 415–16.
  - Ou-Yang, H. D., R. A. MacPhail, and D. Kivelson. “Nonlinear ultrasonically induced birefringence in gold sols: Frequency-dependent diffusion.” Physical Review A 33, no. 1 (January 1, 1986): 611–19. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.33.611.
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  - MacPhail, R., and D. Kivelson. “Viscoelasticity the high-frequency viscosity factorf.” Molecular Physics 54, no. 5 (April 10, 1985): 1203–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00268978500100951.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and H. L. Strauss. “Can the Bloch equations describe the vibrational spectra of a reacting molecule?” The Journal of Chemical Physics 82, no. 3 (January 1, 1985): 1156–66. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.448964.
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  - MacPhail, Richard, and Daniel Kivelson. “Visoelasticity. The High-Frequency Viscosity Factor.” Molec. Phys. 54 (1985): 1203–12.
  - MacPhail, R. A., H. L. Strauss, R. G. Snyder, and C. A. Eiliger. “C-H stretching modes and the structure of n-alkyl chains. 2. Long, all-trans chains.” Journal of Physical Chemistry 88, no. 3 (January 1, 1984): 334–41. https://doi.org/10.1021/j150647a002.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., and D. Kivelson. “Generalized hydrodynamic theory of viscoelasticity.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 80, no. 5 (January 1, 1983): 2102–14. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.446976.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., R. G. Snyder, and H. L. Strauss. “The motional collapse of the methyl C-H stretching vibration bands.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 77, no. 3 (January 1, 1982): 1118–37. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.443996.
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  - Wong, J. S., R. A. MacPhall, C. B. Moore, and H. L. Strauss. “Local mode spectra of inequivalent C-H oscillators in cycloalkanes and cycloalkenes.” Journal of Physical Chemistry 86, no. 8 (January 1, 1982): 1478–84. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100397a054.
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  - Snyder, R. G., R. A. MacPhail, and H. L. Strauss. “VIBRATIONAL BAND SHAPES FOR n-ALKANE: UREA CLATHRATES.,” December 1, 1980, 476–77.
  - Henry, B. R., I. F. Hung, R. A. MacPhail, and H. L. Strauss. “A Local Mode Description of the CH-Stretching Overtone Spectra of the Cycloalkanes and Cycloalkenes.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 102, no. 2 (January 1, 1980): 515–19. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00522a013.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., R. G. Snyder, and H. L. Strauss. “Motional Collapse of Methyl Group Vibrational Bands.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 102, no. 11 (January 1, 1980): 3976. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00531a062.
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  - Craig, N. C., M. N. Ackermann, and R. A. MacPhail. “Vibrational spectra for trans-dimethyldiazene-1,1,1-d3 (azomethane). Potential functions for trans-dimethyldiazene and trans-methyldiazene.” The Journal of Chemical Physics 68, no. 1 (January 1, 1978): 236–46. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.435488.
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  - Craig, N. C., R. A. MacPhail, and D. A. Spiegel. “Vibrational assignments and a potential function for 3,3-difluorocyclopropene-d₀, -d₁, and -d₂.” Journal of Physical Chemistry 82, no. 9 (1978): 1056–70.
  - Craig, Norman C., Richard MacPhail, and David A. Spiegel. “Vibrational Assignments and a Potential Function for 3,3-difluorocylclopropene-d0, -d1, and -d2.” J. Phys. Chem. 82 (1978): 1056–71.
  - Ackermann, M. N., N. C. Craig, R. R. Isberg, D. M. Lauter, R. A. MacPhail, and W. G. Young. “Cis-Dimethyldiazene.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 99, no. 5 (January 1, 1977): 1661–63. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00447a072.
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- Conference Papers
  - MacPhail, R. A., and X. Pan. “Cyclopentane pseudorotation dynamics in supercritical carbon dioxide: Solvent friction and solvent clustering.” In Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 215:U188–U188. AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 1998.
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  - MacPhail, R. A., K. Porter, and T. E. Woerner. “The fully integrated, computer based Physical Chemistry Laboratory.” In Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 214:226-CHED. AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 1997.
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  - PAN, X., and R. A. MACPHAIL. “PSEUDOROTATION DYNAMICS OF CYCLOPENTANE-D(9) AS A FUNCTION OF SOLVENT DENSITY.” In Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 207:153-PHYS. AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 1994.
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  - Grabbs, W. T., and R. A. MacPhail. “CW-stimuIated Brillouin gain spectroscopy of liquids, supercooled liquids, and glasses.” In Optics Infobase Conference Papers, 1992.
Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
Presentations & Appearances
Service to the Profession
- NSF Proposal reviewer. December 21, 2009 2009
- Reviewed grant proposals for NSF. January 7, 2008 2008

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Previous Appointments & Affiliations

In the News

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Conference Papers

Presentations & Appearances

Service to the Profession