Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Establishment Of An Efficient Method For The Synthesis Of Srh, An Important Molecule In Bacterial Quorum Sensing, Emily Showell-Rouse, Ruoyi Liu

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of bacterial communication that regulates the expression of virulence genes in many bacteria. The study of QS, could lead to new treatments for bacterial diseases. Interspecies bacterial communication utilizes the signaling molecule autoinducer-2 (AI-2). The LuxS enzyme converts S-ribosyl-L-homocysteine (SRH) into 4(S),5-dihydroxypentane-2,3-dione (DPD), the precursor of AI-2. LuxS inhibitors could prevent QS by halting conversion of SRH. We have developed an efficient synthesis of SRH from D-ribose and L-homocystine. This procedure provides us with both a supply of SRH for biochemical assays and a foundation for the synthesis of SRH analogs …

Enantioselective Biotransformation Of Prochiral Ketone Via Daucus Carota, Ryan Smith, Charlie Knox, Elizabeth Davis

Undergraduate Research Conference

Biotransformations of prochiral ketones can be performed using plant cells. The benefits of using plant cells include low cost, environmentally sound procedures compared to conventional chemical processes, and the stereospecific nature of the reaction.1,2 Benzofuran-2-yl methyl ketone was reduced to (- )-benzofuran-2-yl-ethanol after incubation with carrots in water. The reaction was enantioselective in that it produced the S-isomer as indicated by optical activity. Currently, attempts to isolate the carrot enzyme and antimicrobial studies of the (-)-benzofuran-2-yl-ethanol product are underway.

Research In The Teaching Laboratory: Improving The Synthesis Of Lidocaine, Chris Taliaferro

Undergraduate Research Conference

The multi-step synthesis of Lidocaine is traditionally a low-yielding reaction mainly due to its second step, formation of a-chloro-2,6-dimethylacetanilide. Students often question the use of an acid (acetic acid) as the solvent for the reaction of a base (2,6-dimethylaniline, 1) with the acyl chloride (a-chloroacetyl chloride, 2), (Reaction Scheme) but they follow the procedure as directed.

Students, if treated as scientists in training, should be able to form a hypothesis before an experiment, design experiments to test the given hypothesis, and evaluate the results. A typical laboratory class was assigned to synthesize a-chloro-2,6-dimethylacetanilide using …

Session A-1: Environmental Chemistry – Chemistry In Context, Branson Lawrence

Professional Learning Day

The use of the ACS curriculum combined with group and individual projects to teach entry level chemistry through the context of environmental chemistry.

National Center For Nuclear Security, Veraun Chipman, Amanda Klingensmith, Cathy Snelson

NSTec UNLV Symposium

National Center for Nuclear Security (NCNS) Mission

•Chartered mission is to enhance the Nation’s verification and detection capabilities in support of nuclear arms control and nonproliferation through R&D activities at the NNSS
•Three focus areas
–Treaty Verification Technologies
–Nonproliferation Technologies
–Technical Nuclear Forensics