H
orse whisperers, dog
whisperers, ghost, pipe
and wood whisperers,
make room for the … Molecule
Whisperer?
Terry Isbell, a research chemist
at the Peoria Ag Lab, enjoys a
career of figuring out how he
wants a molecule to behave and
then getting it to oblige. Pretty
good for someone who went
to college to get an accounting
degree.
“
I intended to study accounting
so I could run my own cabinet-
making business. I only took
a chemistry class my first year
to meet a requirement,” Isbell
confessed. “When the professor
drew a molecular structure on
the board I realized everything is
based on a molecule. Anything
you could imagine, you could go
about synthesizing and making. I
was hooked.”
For a creative mind attracted to
a challenge, that recognition was
a turning point for Isbell and he
changed his academic focus to
organic chemistry. The Elmwood
native and resident completed his
BS degree at Bradley University
and in 1991 earned his Ph.D.
from the University of Missouri.
His dissertation focused on the
active functional component of
an anti-malaria compound. “I
predicted what the molecule
needed to do and then figured
out the synthesis that was needed
to make it work,” he said.
Isbell ended up with a new
molecular reaction, and his
doctorate degree.
Isbell continued making
molecular predictions, using
his knowledge and skills to
make them happen. He moved
to a focus on lactones, a type of
chemical compound. That work
was probably his most academic
effort since it dealt with the
concept of getting a molecule
to “go against its nature” to
make the complex compound he
envisioned. Lactones were the
foundation for his later work to
synthesize patented compounds
that have been widely used in
cosmetics and personal care
items.
The lactone project also led
to an ongoing research project
focused on estolides, which are
chemical compounds derived from
plants such as lesquerella, canola,
safflower and sunflower that
contain naturally occurring esters.
In the 1990s Isbell developed
a method to synthesize estolides
and, along with colleague Steve
Cermak, continued to refine the
technology and to study it. They
pioneered using estolides as
biodegradable engine lubricants,
cosmetic components, hydraulic
fluids, coatings and more. Isbell
and Cermak eventually partnered
with a start-up company to
transfer and commercialize the
estolide technology; today that
company has agreements with
industry giants BP and Monsanto
for licensing, supply and
continued developments.
Meanwhile, Isbell and Cermak
continue to work on the transfer
of the chemistry behind the
technology.
Isbell described his job of
organic chemist as “Looking at
the real world, seeing a problem,
imagining a solution at the
molecular level and then figuring
out how to do it.” He expects the
estolide lubricants to be on store
shelves in the near future. “That’s
when you know you’ve made a
difference,” he said. “Publishing
papers and having your research
cited by other scientists is great,
but not as exciting as when your
technology is actually used on a
daily basis.”
Researchers are driven
by curiosity and Isbell is no
exception in the quest to
understand how something
works. Once he has that
knowledge, however, he isn’t
finished; he’s just beginning.
“
That’s what agricultural
research is all about and what
makes it so unique,” he said.
“
You don’t stop at the knowledge
that comes from basic research.
You keep pushing and asking,
what can I do with this and what
problem can I solve with it?”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 48
PSSST! HEY MOLECULE, COME HERE!
Local chemist coaxes molecules to help make many processes better
by Kate O’Hara
47
thePeorian.com
