Williams Group

People

James S. Prell (Jim)

jim




Williams Group
Department of Chemistry
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1460
Tel: (510) 642-6240
Fax: (510) 642-7714

jsprell@berkeley.edu

Biography

In college at Washington University in Saint Louis, I worked with Professor Peter P. Gaspar, studying the synthesis and reactivity of phosphinidene chalcogenides as well as the gas-phase reactivity of methyliumylidenes. I also worked with Professor John Shareshian in the Mathematics Department studying a problem in the representation theory of symmetric groups and Professor William Layher in the Germanic Languages and Literatures Department on fable structure in the works of a Middle High German poet, “der Stricker.”  

As a graduate student of Professor Evan R. Williams in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, I focus on the role of noncovalent interactions (especially hydrogen bonds) in solvation and the structure of biomolecules, as well as electron capture dissociation of peptides and hydrated peptides. I am particularly interested in how cooperation and competition between various noncovalent interactions contribute to Hofmeister series effects, hydrogen bond network structure in aqueous solutions, and high-order structure in biomolecules.

Education

  • 2005. B.A. in Chemistry (summa cum laude), Mathematics (summa cum laude), and German (summa cum laude), with minors in Music and Religious Studies, Washington University in Saint Louis.
  • 2005–2006. Graduate coursework in the German Department at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • 2006–present. Graduate student in the Chemistry Department at the University of California, Berkeley. Research advisor: Prof. Evan R. Williams.

    • Awards and Honors

  • 2005. Regents Intern Fellow, University of California, Berkeley.
  • 2005. Mellon Fellow.
  • 2005. Accepted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
  • 2005. Accepted into Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society.
  • 2005. Honors thesis in Mathematics, “On the Use of the Pigeon-Hole Principle to Solve a Problem of Alexander Moretó,” Washington University in Saint Louis.
  • 2005. Honors thesis in Germanic Languages and Literatures, “Playing with Tradition: Compatibilism in the Short Allegorical Works of ‘der Stricker,’” Washington University in Saint Louis.
  • 2004. American Chemical Society Award.
  • 2004. Received Bemis Travel Fellowship for research abroad (Bamberg, Germany).
  • 2004. Received Pädagogischer Austausch Dienst grant for study abroad (Otto-Friedrich University, Bamberg, Germany).
  • 2003–2005. Barry Goldwater Fellow.
  • 2003. Pfizer Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow.
  • 2001–2005. Moog Honorary Fellow at Washington University in Saint Louis.

    • Publications

  • Prell, J. S.; Correra, T. C.; Chang, T. M.; Biles, J. A.;Williams, E. R. Entropy Drives an Attached Water Molecule from the C- to N-Terminus on Protonated Proline  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 14733-14735. web
  • O'Brien, J. T.; Prell, J. S.; Berden, G.; Oomens, J.;Williams, E. R. Effects of Anions on the Zwitterion Stability of Glu, His, and Arg Investigated by IRMPD Spectroscopy and Theory   Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 2010, 297, 116-123.web
  • O'Brien, J. T.; Prell, J. S.; Bush, M. F.; Williams, E. R. Sulfate Ion Patterns Water at Long Distance  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 8248-8249. web
  • Prell, J. S.; Chang, T. M.; O'Brien, J. T; Williams, E. R. Hydration Isomers of Protonated Phenylalanine and Derivatives: Relative Stabilities from Infrared Photodissociation  J. Am. Chem. Soc 2010, 132, 7811-7819. web
  • Prell, J. S.; O'Brien, J. T.; Williams,E. R. IRPD Spectroscopy and Ensemble Measurements: Effects of Different Data Acquisition and Analysis Methods  J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2010, 21, 800-809. web
  • Prell, J. S.; Flick, T.G.; Oomens, J.; Berden, G.;Williams,E. R. Coordination of Trivalent Metal Cations to Peptides: Results from IRMPD Spectroscopy and Theory  J. Phys. Chem. A 2010, 114, 854-860. web
  • Bush, M. F.; O'Brien, J. T.; Prell, J. S.; Wu, C.; Saykally,R. J.; Williams, E. R. Hydration of Alkaline Earth Metal Dications: Effects of Metal Ion Size Determined Using Infrared Action Spectroscopy  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 13270-13277. web
  • Donald, W. A.; Leib, R. D.; Demireva, M.; O'Brien, J.T.;Prell, J. S.; Williams, E. R. Directly Relating Reduction Energies of Gaseous Eu(H2O)n3+, n = 55-140, to Aqueous Solutions: The Absolute SHE Potential and Real Proton Solvation Energy  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 13328-13337. web
  • Prell, J. S.;O’Brien, J. T.; Steill, J. D.; Oomens, J.; Williams, E. R. Structures of Protonated Dipeptides: The Role of Arginine in Stabilizing Salt Bridges.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 11442-11449. web
  • Prell JS, Williams ER. Structures of Thermal, Mass-Selected Water Clusters Probed with Hydrophobic Ion Tags and Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 4110-4119. web
  • Bush MF, O’Brien JT, Prell JS, Wu CC, Saykally RJ, Williams ER. Effects of Metal Ion Size on the Hydration of Alkaline Earth Metal Dications Measured Using Infrared Action Spectroscopy. 2009,131;13270–13277. web
  • O’Brien JT, Prell JS, Steill JD, Oomens J, Williams ER. Changes in Binding Motif of Protonated Heterodimers Containing Valine Investigated Using IRMPD Spectroscopy between 800 and 3700 cm-1 and Theory.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 3905-3912. web
  • Prell JS, Demireva M, Williams ER. Role of Sequence in Salt-Bridge Formation for Alkali Metal Cationized GlyArg and ArgGly Investigated with IRMPD Spectroscopy and Theory.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 1232–1242. web
  • O’Brien JT, Prell JS, Steill JD, Oomens J, Williams ER. Interactions of Mono- and Divalent Metal Cations with Aspartic and Glutamic Acid Investigated with Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy and Theory.  J. Phys. Chem. A 2008, 112, 10823–10830. web
  • Prell JS, O’Brien JT, Holm AIS, Leib RD, Donald WA, Williams ER. Electron Capture Dissociation by a Hydrated Gaseous Peptide: Effects of Water on Fragmentation and Molecular Survival.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 12680–12689. web
  • O’Brien JT, Prell JS, Holm AIS, Williams ER. Effects of Electron Kinetic Energy and Ion-Electron Inelastic Collisions in Electron Capture Dissociation Measured Using Ion Nanocalorimetry.  J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2008, 19, 772–779. web
  • Bush MF, Prell JS, Saykally RJ, Williams ER. One Water Molecule Stabilizes the Cationized Arginine Zwitterion.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 13544–13553. web
  • Bush MF, O’Brien JT, Prell JS, Saykally RJ, Williams ER. Infrared Spectroscopy of Cationized Arginine in the Gas Phase: Direct Evidence for the Transition from Nonzwitterionic to Zwitterionic Structure.  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 1612–1622. web
  • Gaspar PP, Liu XP, Ivanova D, Read D, Prell JS, Gross ML. Four valence-electron reactive intermediates and the philicity of charged carbene analogs.  Modern Aspects of Main Group Chemistry 2006, 917, 52–65.

    • Talks

  • Prell JS, O'Brien JT, Williams ER. Microsolvation of Protonated Phenylalanine and Phenylalanine Derivatives . 25th Asilomar Conference on Mass Spectrometry: Ion Spectroscopy, Asilomar, CA . 19 October 2009.
  • Prell JS, O'Brien JT, Williams ER. IRPD Ensemble Spectroscopy: Building Aqueous Solutions and Surfaces. 57th Annual American Society of Mass Spectrometry Conference in Philadelphia, PA. 2 June 2009.
  • Prell JS and Williams ER. How Cold is Your Mass Spectrometer? (workshop talk) 57th Annual American Society of Mass Spectrometry Conference in Philadelphia, PA, 2 June 2009.
  • Prell JS and Williams ER. Wet Grease: Hydration of Hydrophobic Groups Investigated with Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy and Theory. Lake Arrowhead Ion Chemistry Conference in Lake Arrowhead, CA, 18 January 2009.
  • Prell JS. Stabilizing Amino Acid Zwitterions: Infrared Spectroscopy of Solvated Biomolecules. Graduate Research Conference (Departmental Seminar), University of California, Berkeley, CA. October 2007.

    • Teaching Experience

  • Spring 2009. Graduate student instructor for mass spectrometry course (Chem 268) with Prof. Evan R. Williams at UC Berkeley.
  • Spring 2008. Graduate student instructor for graduate kinetics course (Chem 223A) with Prof. Stephen R. Leone at UC Berkeley.
  • Fall 2006. Graduate student instructor for undergraduate general chemistry (Chem 1A) at UC Berkeley.

    • Other Interests

    classical music performance (piano) and composition, phonology and morphology, historical linguistics, algebra and analysis, gourmet cooking, running, exploring the Bay Area, German and Austrian literature (especially medieval) and film