Prof Jannie (JC) Swarts
Position	Professor
Department	Chemistry
Address	CHEMIE IB 48
Email
Telephone	+27-(0)51 4012781/
Office	C 7

Short CV

Jannie C. Swarts completed a M.Sc. working on mechanistic and synthetic aspects of gold complexes at the University of the Orange Free State in 1978. He then studied science education at the University of Stellenbosch (1979) before joining the Johannesburg Technical College as a mathematics lecturer. After gaining valuable experience on semi-conducting technology (CSIR, 1981) and rubber chemistry (Pretoria Technicon, 1982), he rejoined the Johannesburg Technical College where he became head of the Department of Science and Mathematics. In 1986 he accepted a position in physical chemistry at the University of the Free State and completed his part time Ph.D. studies at the University of the Witwatersrand (1990) working on synthetic and electrochemical aspects of metallocene-containing water-soluble polymers with biomedical applications.

He then spent a post-doctoral year in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England with Geoff Sykes (FRS), where he studied the behaviour and kinetic pathways of inactivation of ribonucleotide reductase by potential anti cancer drugs. Upon his return to the University of the Free State he launched an extensive research program on synthetic and physical chemistry aspects of metal-containing macromolecules/polymers with biomedical applications. He is since 2000 head of physical chemistry. Metallocenes, phthalocyanine and other porpherenoid derivatives as well as platinum group metal complexes are the subjects of his kinetic, electrochemical, quantum chemical and liquid crystal phase studies. Jannie authored almost fifty international publications, two international patents and several technical reports. He often contributes with oral lectures at international conferences all over the world and wrote chapters for two separate subject specialist handbooks. He collaborates over a wide multidisciplinary front with researchers in South Africa, England, Norway, New Zealand and the United States. Jannie held the prestigious James Professorial Chair in Canada (1997) and a Commonwealth Fellowship with Mike Cook in England (1978). He was visiting professor in New Zealand (Ted Baker, protein physical chemistry, 1994) and in the United States (Bill Geiger, electrochemistry, 2003)

Area of Expertise

• Syntheses: Metallocenes, phthalocyanine and other porpherenoids, platinum group metal complexes and metal-containing condensation polymers.
• Electrochemistry: Mainly cyclic voltammetry, square wave analyses, linear sweep analyses and bulk electrolyses.
• Kinetics: Mainly electron transfer, oxidative addition and substitution kinetics.
• Phase studies: Mainly thermodynamics of liquid crystals.
• Medicinal chemistry: Mainly the use of metallocenes, phthalocyanines and platinum group metals in chemotherapy

Courses Presented

• Electrochemistry
• Kinetics
• Phase studies
• Thermodynamics
• Nuclear chemistry
• Spectroscopy
• Molecular structure and quantum chemistry
• Surface Chemistry