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Detection Of Heavy Transition Metal Cations Using Novel Chemosensors, Shannon Rhodes

Honors College Theses

Transition metals (TM) are found in the environment and living systems. When present in excess, these metals can trigger health problems, which include memory loss and cognitive functions. In this project, commercially-available compounds were used to aid in the making of novel mono- and di-triazole molecular sensors with a well-known reaction called “click chemistry”. These sensors were used efficiently and selectively to attract a specific metal like iron III, copper, and zinc. Six sensors were tested via UV-spectroscopy, NMR, and fluorescence with the cations and selectivity increased as the sensors were altered.