Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Chemical Characterization Of Microplastic Polymer Composition From Various Littoral Environments On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Leah Kosovsky

Chemistry Honors Papers

The increasing abundance of microplastic pollution in marine environments is a rising concern, and it has the potential to negatively affect the health and sustainability of marine organisms and ecosystems. Microplastics can harm organisms through a variety of chemical, biological, and physical mechanisms. The extent to which they are harmful varies greatly and is significantly dependent on the chemical and physical makeup of the plastic polymer. Due to this variability, it is important to characterize microplastic samples in various environments to better understand the risks associated with the debris in certain areas. Through field research, a spatial analysis of the …

Why Are Glycines 31, 33, And 35 Highly Conserved In All Fluorescent Proteins?, Justin Nwafor

Chemistry Honors Papers

Since the discovery of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), fluorescent proteins (FPs) have been used as biomarkers to monitor biological phenomena across many scientific disciplines. All naturally-occurring FPs consist of an 11-stranded β-barrel with a non-canonical α-helix, which contains the chromophore, running through the central axis of the protein. Glycines 31, 33, and 35 are highly conserved across the fluorescent proteins found in the PDB. These three residues are of interest due to them all being located in the second strand of the β-barrel, but having no direct involvement in chromophore formation. This led to a presumption that the glycines …

Why Are Gly31, Gly33 And Gly35 Highly Conserved In All Fluorescent Proteins?, Christian Salguero

Chemistry Honors Papers

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has grown in popularity and new applications are currently being developed. There are certain residues that are highly conserved through all the naturally occurring fluorescent proteins variants, and some of their functionality is yet to be determined. This is the case for three glycines that appear in a GXGXGX motif in the second β-sheet at positions 31, 33, and 35 with conservations of 100%, 87% and 95%, respectively.

Molecular dynamic simulations and other computational analyses of G31A, G33A, and G35A mutants, derived from pre-cyclized wild-type GFP, determined with confidence that these glycines are not involved in …

Computational Analysis Of The Structural Importance Of The Conserved Glycine Residues At Positions 31, 33, And 35 In The Chromophore Formation And Folding Of Green Fluorescent Protein, Franceine Welcome

Chemistry Honors Papers

Green fluorescent protein, initially cloned and expressed from the bioluminescent jellyfish, Aequorea victoria (avGFP), has a wide range of uses in cellular biology, one of which includes uses as a biological marker1. Variants of GFP exist, but some residues are highly conserved and necessary for appropriate chromophore formation. Some of these conserved residues are the glycine residues at positions 31, 33 and 35, though it they are not part of the tripeptide that forms the chromophore2 .

The objective of this honors study and 3 related independent studies was to use computational methods to find out why the glycines at …

High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy Of The V18 And V26 Bands Of Trans-1,3-Pentadiene, Minh Tran

Chemistry Honors Papers

A high-resolution absorbance spectrum of trans-1,3-pentadiene was obtained using a quantum cascade laser-based spectrometer. All spectra were calibrated using a methanol reference spectrum generated by SpectraPlot using the HITRAN Database. The frequency uncertainty is estimated as 0.002 cm^-1. Two peaks at 976.69 and 1003.50 cm^-1 were assigned to ν₁₈ and ν₂₆ bands respectively. Supporting calculations of the anharmonic vibrational frequencies and rotational constants were performed at the MP2/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Two specific motions were assigned to the vibrational modes ν₁₈ and ν₂₆. A spectrum of the ν₂₆ band was …

High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy Of The V23 And V22 Vibrational Bands Of Methyl Vinyl Ketone, Michael Iranpour

Chemistry Honors Papers

The high-resolution Infrared spectrum of methyl vinyl ketone (C4H6O) has been acquired in the region containing the v₂₂ and v₂₃ bands near 987 cm^-1 and 1001cm^-1, respectively, using a quantum cascade laser-based spectrometer. All acquired spectra underwent frequency calibrations that will prove useful during future atmospheric measurements of methyl vinyl ketone. Anharmonic calculations were performed at the MP2/ccp-pVTZ level of theory to obtain the vibrational frequencies and the excited state rotational constants of cis-methyl vinyl ketone. These calculations supported the assignment of the Q-branch features at 1001.031 and 987.592 cm^-1 to the v …

Mutagenic And Spectroscopic Investigation Of Ph Dependent Cooa Dna Binding, Brian R. Weaver

Chemistry Honors Papers

The carbon monoxide (CO) sensing heme protein, CooA, is a transcription factor which exists in several bacteria that utilize CO as an energy source. CooA positively regulates the expression of coo genes in the presence of CO such that the corresponding proteins may metabolize CO. The present studies have yielded the unexpected result that Fe(III) CooA binds DNA tightly at pH < 7, deviating from all previously reported work which indicate that CooA DNA binding is initiated only when the exogenous CO effector reacts with the Fe(II) CooA heme. This observation suggests that the disruption of one or more salt bridges upon effector binding may be a critical feature of the normal CooA activation mechanism. To test this possibility, several protein variants that eliminated a selected salt bridge for the CooA homolog from Rhodospirillum rubrum were prepared via site-directed mutagenesis. Samples of these variant proteins, which were overexpressed in Escherichia coli, were then characterized by spectroscopic methods and functional assays to investigate the impact these mutations had on CooA heme coordination …

Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation Of Nitroalkenes To Primary Amines, Brendan Phillips

Chemistry Honors Papers

This work describes synthetic methodology development in organic chemistry. The goal of this work is to demonstrate new ways of making biologically-relevant molecules that are in line with the principles of green chemistry (chemical practices which seek to be, regarding human and environmental health, benign by design). To this end, a new method has been developed toward the introduction of primary amine functionalities into organic molecules from readily-available aldehydes, via reduction of nitroalkene intermediates. Traditional methods of reducing nitroalkenes to primary amines require harsh conditions, often produce stoichiometric amounts of metal salt waste, and present significant safety challenges to the …

Synthesis Of Porous Manganese Oxides With Unsaturated Alcohols And Subsequent Characterization And Catalytic Activity, Chrismary De La Cruz

Chemistry Honors Papers

Porous manganese oxides have been synthesized using unsaturated alcohols (allyl alcohol and propargyl alcohol) as reducing agents in a redox reaction with KMnO4 in the presence of butyric acid. Materials have an approximate MnO2 stoichiometry and surface areas of 280 m2/g for materials made with allyl alcohol and 260 m2/g for those made with propargyl alcohol. Materials also showed a good deal of monodispersity, with the materials made from allyl alcohol having an average diameter of 156 nm± 61 nm. The materials made with propargyl alcohol had an average diameter of 143 nm ±49 nm.

Previously, highly monodisperse porous spheres …

The Health Risks Of Chemicals In Personal Care Products And Their Fate In The Environment, Lisa Paulsen

Chemistry Honors Papers

Personal care products are everyday consumer products used to cleanse, enhance, or alter the appearance of the body, including, but not limited to, shampoos, body washes, lotions, and cosmetics. The regulations and safety information surrounding personal care products are severely lacking. The laws regulating the environmental fate of these chemicals and the harmful effects they can have on environmental ecosystems or organisms that are exposed to them are even more limited. However, studies have shown that the chemicals can have a dizzying array of health risks, including diseases on the rise in human populations such as diabetes, obesity, autism, ADHD, …

Expression And Characterization Of The Novel Oxidase Virh-Ox, John Dronzek

Chemistry Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Transition-Metal-Doped Manganese Oxide Hollow Nanospheres: Synthesis And Catalytic Activityc, Jeffrey Carmichael

Chemistry Honors Papers

Manganese oxide hollow spheres with approximate MnO2 stoichiometry were synthesized by aqueous precipitation with a redox reaction between Mn(II) and MnO4–in the presence of butyric acid. The butyric acid acts as a structure-directing agent, reducing the average particle size of the materials, while also acting as a soft template for the spheres to form. This is possible because butyric acid forms a thermodynamically stable microemulsion in water, which is unable to be broken up in solution. Without incorporation of the carboxylic acids, the materials have a surface area of 133 m2/g, while with the addition of butyric acid, the surface …

Preparations And Reactions Of Two Aldoketenes: T-Butyl And Benzyl, Donna E. Loeffler

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 25 page thesis examines preparations and reactions of aldoketenes.

An Inexpensive Differential Thermal Analyzer: Construction, Qualitative And Quantitative Applications, Kenneth T. Miller

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 33 page thesis examines the process of constructing an inexpensive, versatile differential thermal analysis instrument which can be easily modified and adapted to many applications.

Steric Effects On The Dimerization Of Alkyl Substituted Aldoketenes, Barbara Carol Pittner

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 34 page thesis uses nmr spectral absorption to examine product yields in reactions of isovaleryl chloride and t-butyl acetyl chloride.

Poly (4-Vinylpyridine) Synthesis And Solution Properties, Warren L. Robinson Jr.

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 28 page thesis reports the synthesis of poly (4-vinylpyridine) by cationic and free radical initiators, concentrated sulfuric acid and benzoylperoxide, respectively. The molecular weights of the various samples were measured and an evaluation of the several methods given. The effects of ionic strength and pH on the viscosity of solutions of poly (4-vinylpyridine) were also investigated.

Investigation Of The Mechanism Of Poly (Vinyl Alcohol)-Iodine Complex, David J. Martella

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 24 page thesis examines the PVA-iodine reaction mechanism.

An Nmr Study Of Substituent Effects In Ortho-Substituted Aryl Methyl Sulfides, Luba Anne Pacala

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 51 page thesis involved the synthesis of a series of ortho substituted methyl phenyl sulfides and the subsequent interpretation of their nmr spectra to see if a linear correlation of reported ortho sigma constants with carbon 13-proton coupling constants or S-methyl chemical shifts existed. It was also the object of this study to determine a new set of ortho substituent constants based upon these data.

The Synthetic Chemistry Of Carboxyalkyl-P, P-Diphenyl Phosphines, Larry S. Andrews

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 55 page thesis examines the preparation of carboxyalkyl-P and P-diphenyl phosphines to determine their acidity characteristics as a function of structure and to characterize their ability to function as chelating agents.

A Study Of Substituent Effects In Selected Aromatic Systems By Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Carol K. Haas

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 53 page thesis builds upon previous work investigating substituent effects on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy parameters.

The Synthesis And Reactions Of Isatoic P-Linear Bis Anhydride, Willis G. Frick

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 41 page thesis examines methods of synthesizing isatoic anhydrides.

The Synthesis, Characterization And Reactions Of 1,2-Dihydro-2-Thiono, 3,1-Benzoxazin-4-One And Its Isomer The 3,1-Benzothiazine-2 (1h), 4-Dione, Joan Louise Davis

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 52 page thesis investigates the reactions of thioisatoic anhydride with sodium hydroxide, ammonia, a series of diprotic amines and methyl iodide.

The Synthesis Of 2-Carboxyethyl-P, P-Diphenylphosphine And A Study Of It As A Potential Chelating Agent, Harriet V. Taylor

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 24 page thesis examines the synthesis of organo-phosphorous acids and their stability as ligands.

Equilibrium Constants Of Various Polyol-Borate Systems, Karen L. Wanner

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 26 page thesis examines the polyol-borate system.

The Synthesis And Reactions Of 8-Carboxy Isatoic Anhydride, James E. Scheirer

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 34 page thesis examines the preparation and characterization of 8-carboxy isatoic anhydride and the study of its reactions, leading to the synthesis of compounds of new composition.

The Synthesis And Reactions Of 6-Carboxy Isatoic Anhydride, Jacqueline I. Kroschwitz

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 27 page thesis researches the preparation and characterization of 6-carboxy isatoic anhydride and the study of the reactions of this compound, leading to the synthesis of a series of compounds of new composition.

The Synthesis And Reactions Of 7-Carboxy Isatoic Anhydride, Elsa M. Janle

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 16 page thesis examines the preparation and characterization of 7-carboxy isatoic anhydride and the study of the reactions of this compound of new composition.

The Synthesis Of 2, 4, 6, 8 - Tetraoxo - 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 - Octahydro-Benzo (1, 2-D:-5, 4-D') Bis (1, 3) Oxazine, Calvin L. Moyer

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 29 page thesis examines the synthesis of the three ring heterocyclic system containing two dioxo-1, 3-oxazine rings.

Kinetics Of The Reaction Of Isatoic Anhydride With Low Molecular Weight Alcohols, William Mast

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 22 page thesis studies the kinetics of the reaction of isatoic anhydride with low-molecular-weight alcohols by a colorimetric method.

A Study Of The Reactions In The Formation Of Sulfoacetic Acid And Of The Preparation Of Pure Crystalline Sulfoacetic Acid, Barbara Jean Eichel

Chemistry Honors Papers

This 15 page thesis attempts to explain the difficulty in obtaining crystalline solids from sulfoacetic acid.