North Carolina Central University

Search the Directory

Abdul K Mohammed

Professor and Department Chair, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Dr. Abdul K. Mohammed is currently serving as professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC. Previously, he served as the dean of the College of Science and Technology, North Carolina Central University, and as the chair of the Department of Chemistry at Winston Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC.

After earning his B.Sc. degree in chemistry at the University of Benin, Benin-City, Nigeria, he received his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Louisiana State University and did postdoctoral research at Florida State University. He started his academic career as an assistant professor at North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, in 1993. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman during the 2003–2004 academic year. He served as a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria, in the summers of 2017 and 2019.

His research interests include semiconductor-assisted photodegradation of organic and inorganic pollutants in water, the development of multinuclear transition-metal complexes as chemical nucleases and antineoplastic agents, photophysics and photochemistry of transition metal complexes, and chemical education research. He teaches general, inorganic, and environmental chemistry courses.

Research

Dr. Mohammed's current research interests include the following:

  • Inorganic/environmental chemistry: Semiconductor-assisted photodegradation of organic and inorganic pollutants in water. Photophysics and photochemistry of binuclear gold(I) complexes.
  • Bioinorganic chemistry: Synthesis, characterization and anti-tumor activities of transition-metal complexes. Interaction of metal-natural product complexes with DNA and proteins. Mechanisms and structural aspects of DNA-targeting natural product compounds that have anti-tumor properties.
  • Chemical education: Innovative student-centered teaching methodologies.

Education

B.Sc., Chemistry

University of Benin, Benin-City, Nigeria

1983

Ph.D., Inorganic Chemistry

Louisiana State University

1992

Postdoctoral Research

Florida State University

1992-1993

Projects

NCCU-UNC Master's to Ph.D. Chemistry Bridge Program

Publications

  • “Fabrication of Porous Ceramic Pot Filters for Adsorptive Removal of Pollutants in Tannery Wastewater” Mustapha, S; Tijani, J. O; Ndamitso, M. M.; Abdulkareem, S. A.; Ajala, A. O..; Mohammed, A. K.; Oke, O. J. Scientific African, 2021, 11, e00705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00705
  •  “The Role of Kaolin and Kaolin/ZnO Nanoadsorbents in Adsorption Studies for Tannery Wastewater Treatment” Mustapha, S; Tijani, J. O; Ndamitso, M. M.; Abdulkareem, S. A.; Shuaib, D. T.; Mohammed, A. K.; Sumaila, A. Scientific Reports, 2020, 10, 13068. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69808-z
  • “Application of TiO2 and ZnO Nanoparticles Immobilized on Clay in Wastewater Treatment: A Review” Mustapha, S; Ndamitso, M. M.; Abdulkareem, A. S.; Tijani, J. O.; Shuaib, D. T.; Ajala, A. O.; Mohammed, A. K. Applied Water Science, 2020, 10, 49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-019-1138-y
  • “Potential of Using Kaolin as a Natural Adsorbent for the Removal of Pollutants from Tannery Wastewater” Mustapha, S; Ndamitso, M. M.; Abdulkareem, A. S.; Tijani, J. O.; Mohammed, A. K.; Shuaib, D. T. Heliyon, 2019, 5, e02923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02923
  • “Comparative Study of Crystallite Size Using Williamson-Hall and Debye-Scherrer Plots for ZnO Nanoparticles” Mustapha, S.; Ndamitso, M. M.;  Abdulkareem, A. S.; Tijani, J. O.; Shuaib, D. T.; Mohammed, A. K.; Sumaila, A. Adv. Nat. Sci.: Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 045013. https://doi.org/10.1088/2043-6254/ab52f7
  • “Review of GenX Pollution: GenX Pollution of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, U.S.A.” Ladapo, J. A.; Mohammed, A. K.; Nwosu, V. C. WSEAS Trans. Environ. Dev., 2019, 15, 144-152.
  • “Lead Pollution in Flint, Michigan, U.S.A. and Other Cities” Ladapo, J. A.; Mohammed, A. K.; Nwosu, V. C. Int. J. of Env. Sci. and Ed. 2017, 11, 1341-1351.
  • “Use of Innovative Pedagogies and Creative Partnership Strategies to Promote Undergraduate STEM Education at an HBCU” in Setting a New Agenda for Student Engagement and Retention in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Editor: Charles Prince Fakayode, S.O.; Snipes, V.; Kanipes, M.; Mohammed, AK; Wilson, Z.S., 2016, pp. 119-151, IGI Global Inc., Hershey, PA.
  •  “Photocatalytic Mineralization of Chlorazol Black E (Direct Black 38) over Zeolite-Supported Titania-Based Catalysts” Young, D. A.; Mohammed, A. K.; Blue, S. K.; Roberts, K. L. J Chem Proc Eng, 2014, 1, 1-7.
  • "Promoting Undergraduate STEM Education at a Historically Black College and University through Research Experience" Fakayode, S. O.; Yakubu, M.; Adeyeye, O. M.; Pollard, D. A.; Mohammed, A.K.  J. Chem. Ed.  2014, 91, 662-665.
  • "Determination of Fe Content of Some Food Items by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (FAAS): A Guided-Inquiry Learning Experience in Instrumental Analysis Laboratory" Fakayode, S. O.; King, A.G.; Yakubu, M.; Mohammed, A.K.; Pollard, D. A. J. Chem. Ed.  2012, 89, 109-113.
  • “Simultaneous Determinations of Cysteine and Homocysteine Thiolactone in Human Serum Albumin by Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Multivariate Regression Analysis” Fakayode, S. O.; Taylor, A.M.; Stapleton, W. E.; Arhagba, E.F.; McCoy, M.; Pollard, D.A.; Mohammed, A.K. Global J. Anal. Chem. 2010, 1, 13-28.
  • “Multicomponent Analyses of Chiral Samples by Use of Regression Analysis of UV-visible Spectra of Cyclodextrin Guest-Host Complexes” Fakayode, S. O.; Brady, P. N.; Pollard, D. A.; Mohammed, A. K.; Warner, I. M. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 2009, 394, 1645-1653.
  •  “Photocatalytic degradation of Chicago sky blue 6B and Benzopurpurin 4B using titanium dioxide thin film”; Mohammed, A.K and McKenzie, K. T. J. Environ. Sci. 2005, 17, 867-872.
  • “Chimie Douce Preparation, Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity of Nanocrystalline SnO2”; Melghit, K.; Mohammed, A.K.; Al-Amri, I. Mater. Sci. Eng., B 2005, 117, 302-306.
  • “Stoichiometric Preference in Copper-promoted Oxidative DNA Damage By Ochratoxin-A”; Manderville, R. A.; Calcutt, M. W.; Dai, J.; Park, G.; Gillman, I. G.; Noftle, R. E.; Mohammed, A. K.; Dizdaroglu, M.; Rodriguez, H.; Akman, S. A. J. Inorg. Biochem. 2003, 95, 87-96.
  • "Kinetics of the Complexation of UO2(NO3)2 with Tributyl Phosphate (TBP) in Xylene"; Mohammed, A. K.; Sullivan, J. C.; Nash, K. L. Solvent Extr. Ion Exch. 2000, 18, 809-820.
  • "Solution Photophysics, One-Electron Photooxidation, and Photoinitiated Two-Electron Oxidation of Molybdenum(III) Complexes”; Mohammed, A. K.; Isovitsch, R. A.; Maverick, A. W. Inorg. Chem. 1998, 37, 2779-2785.
  • “Crystal Structure and Solid-State Fluorescence of an Oxomolybdenum(V)-Benzylviologen Electron-Donor Acceptor Salt"; Mohammed, A. K.; Fronczek, F. R.; Maverick, A. W.  Inorg. Chim. Acta 1994, 226, 225-231.
  • "Extraction and Spectrophotometric Determination of Nd(III), Th(IV) and U(VI) in Synthetic Brine Using Chlorophosphonazo III”; Chen, J.-F.; Khalili, F. I.; Mohammed, A. K.; Choppin, G. R.  Anal. Chim. Acta, 1994, 284, 593-597.
  • "Variation of Stability Constants of Thorium and Uranium Oxalate Complexes with Ionic Strength"; Choppin, G. R.; Erten, H. N.; Mohammed, A. K.  Radiochim. Acta 1994, 66/67, 123-128.
  • "Photochemistry and Redox Catalysis Using Rhenium and Molybdenum Complexes”; Maverick, A. W.; Yao, Q.; Mohammed, A. K.; Henderson, L. J., Jr.  ACS Adv. Chem. Ser., 1993, 238, 131-146.
  • "Solution Fluorescence and Photoredox Reactions of Molybdenum(V) Oxo Complexes”; Mohammed, A. K.; Maverick, A. W., Inorg. Chem., 1992, 31, 4441-4443.
  • "Ammonium Hexachloromolybdate(III)”; Mohammed, A. K.; Maverick, A. W. (checkers) Inorg. Synth., 1992, 29, 127-129.