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Full-Text Articles in Laboratory and Basic Science Research

Investigations Involving Mononuclear And Dinuclear Transition Metal Catalysts For Photochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction, Ansu Edwards May 2021

Investigations Involving Mononuclear And Dinuclear Transition Metal Catalysts For Photochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction, Ansu Edwards

Honors Theses

There is currently a global energy crisis, which is in desperate need of solutions. New energy sources are required that will not pollute as much as our longstanding reliance on nonrenewable fossil fuels as an energy source. This pollution involves large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, predominantly carbon dioxide (CO2), that contribute to environmental problems such as climate change. In this context, a fairly recent research direction to address this problem is the development of transition metal catalysts that can convert CO2 into reduced carbon products that can serve as chemical fuels. This work focuses on the …


The Impact Of Natural Rubber As A Toughening Agent On The Strength, Degradability, And Toxicity Of An Algae-Based Bioplastic, Megan Driscoll May 2021

The Impact Of Natural Rubber As A Toughening Agent On The Strength, Degradability, And Toxicity Of An Algae-Based Bioplastic, Megan Driscoll

Honors College

With the growing attention on widespread plastic usage and its impact on the environment and human health, the need for sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics is more important than ever. One of the most promising solutions is bioplastics; however, current bioplastics struggle to compete with the material properties of petroleum- based plastics. Agar is a sustainable algae-derived hydrocolloid polysaccharide that can be used for bioplastics and biofilms. Despite promising characteristics, bioplastics made from agar are brittle. Common additives, such as the plasticizer glycerol, offset brittleness but sacrifice strength in return. This study looks at the impact of natural rubber as …


Microbial Communities Of The Providence River, Jacqueline Kratch Apr 2015

Microbial Communities Of The Providence River, Jacqueline Kratch

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

The Providence River has been industrialized for over one-hundred years. Industries such as oil storage and metal recycling facilities have left high levels of pollutant metals, including lead (Pb), in the soil and water. The elevated Pb concentrations in these environments influence the selection of Pb resistance mechanisms in the bacterial community1. One mechanism of heavy metal resistance is the Pb efflux pump, consisting of proteins in the cell membrane that aid in the transport of Pb out of the cell2. In this study we investigated the co-occurrence of Pb efflux pumps and antibiotic efflux pumps in bacteria from Pb …


Raman Spectroscopy As A Teaching Tool In The Forensic Science And Chemistry Courses, Zhaohua Dai, Elmer-Rico E. Mojico Oct 2013

Raman Spectroscopy As A Teaching Tool In The Forensic Science And Chemistry Courses, Zhaohua Dai, Elmer-Rico E. Mojico

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.


Analysis Of Biodiesel Quality Using Reversed Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, Kellyann M. Murphy May 2012

Analysis Of Biodiesel Quality Using Reversed Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, Kellyann M. Murphy

Pomona Senior Theses

The alternative fuel biodiesel is produced from the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fat to fatty acid methyl esters. Pomona has a reactor on campus that can be used to run this reaction and produce biodiesel. The use of biodiesel has been found to lower air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, but can be potentially harmful to the engines if it contains impurities. This paper proposes a method using high-performance liquid chromatography to test the quality of biodiesel. This method utilizes instrumentation and materials that are available in Pomona College's Chemistry Department, requires very little sample preparation, and is …