Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Electrochemical Characterization Of A Vanadium-Based Deoxydehydration Catalyst, Joel Eric Baker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alternative methods for the conversion of polyols into olefins, be it for carbon storage or hydrocarbon fuel production, have become prevalent in today’s chemical industry. One process in particular, deoxydehydration (DODH) has been proven effective in taking sustainable biomass derivatives and converting them through the utilization of various homogenous metal catalysts. While this process may show productive yields and material conversion, it is hindered by the need of a sacrificial reductant. This makes a novel process economically unviable and relatively unused outside of scientific research. That fact begs the question: Can the process be improved? It is proposed here that …

Photochemistry Of A Series Of Weakly Coupled Dinuclear Ruthenium(Ii) Complexes, Latisha Michelle Puckett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An improved synthetic method was developed for symmetric ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes with the form L2Ru(diphen)RuL2. The scope of the reaction was investigated in regards to the ligands, bridging ligands, and starting materials. Several ligands were successful in the synthesis, including 2,2’-bipyridine (bpy), 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-dipyridyl (dmb), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (dpphen), and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (tmphen). Ligands that did not react to form symmetric dimeric complexes were 2,2’-bipyrazine, bpz, and 2,2’-bipyrimidine, bpm.

Dpp, 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)-pyrazine, effectively replaced diphen as the bridging ligand to produce (phen)2Ru(dpp)Ru(phen)24+. However, replacing the [Ru(CO)2Cl2]n with Ru(DMSO)4Cl2 did not prove successful. The newly developed synthesis was also applied to the synthesis of …

New Effects Of Aging And Lattice Intercalation On Surface Properties Of Titanate Nanobelts, Roger Williams

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Titanate nanobelts (NBs) have structural characteristics beyond that of clays. Due to a negatively charged lattice matrix of edge-shared TiO6-octahedra, the location of intercalated cations within the interlayer space may dictate the charge-conductions. This environment may in turn govern the lattice-framework's stability and surface properties, based upon our preliminary

data.

On that basis, these nanomaterials have been found in our lab to possess superb biological compatibility that is closely related to the types of the intercalated cations. In addition, a prolonged agitation was proven to enable us to manipulate the titanate NBs' length. In a parallel study, a ripening was …

On Chlorine Salts: Their Detection, Stability And Implications For Water On Mars And Europa, Jennifer Hanley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chlorine salts (e.g. chlorides, chlorates and perchlorates) are an important factor in the stability of water on the surfaces of planetary bodies. Here we have shown that perchlorate and chlorate salts will lower the freezing point of water, allowing it to be liquid down to ~204 K. These salts will also slow down the evaporation rate, extending the lifetime of the liquid water solution. Chlorine salts have been detected on Mars, which has significant implications for the stability of water and hence its habitability. To study their effects on the stability of water on planetary surfaces, we need to first …

An Investigation Of The Electronic Coupling In Some Dimeric Ruthenium (Ii) Polypyridine Complexes, Roland Ngebichie Njabon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A detailed understanding of respiration at the molecular level requires an understanding of the many electron transfer steps involved in the process. These electron transfer processes are extremely fast and are impossible to measure by simple rapid mixing techniques. In order to get around this problem, scientists have used laser flash photolysis. This technique relies on the fact that under proper conditions, a reactant can be generated by a very short laser pulse. Once generated, the course of the reaction can be monitored by various techniques capable of very rapid time response. Many applications of this methodology rely on the …

Refractive Index Chemical Sensing With Noble Metal Nanoparticles, Phillip Blake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemical sensing is a key component in modern society, especially in engineering applications. Because of their widespread impact, improvements to chemical sensors are a significant area of research. One class of sensors, plasmonic sensors, is being heavily researched because of their ability to detect low levels of analyte in near real time without destroying the analyte. This work studies a new class of plasmonic sensor that utilizes diffractive coupling to improve sensor performance. Specifically, this work outlines the first study of diffractive coupling sensors with typical nanoparticle shapes. Sensitivity of this new class of sensor is directly compared to typical …

Part I - A Study Of The Formation Of Carbenes By Elimination Of Α-Bromosilanes And Application Toward The Synthesis Of Transition Metal Complexed Quinone Methide Analogs. Part Ii - Development Of Novel 7-Membered Ring Carbene Ligands For Palladium Catalyzed Cross Coupling Reactions., Christian Michael Loeschel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In part I, we wish to report our approaches toward transition metal complexed ortho-quinone methide analogs. ortho-Quinone Methides are a class of highly reactive compounds with a wide range of chemical and biological applications. Previously, a stable iron complexed benzannulated 5-membered ring quinone methide analog was reported by Allison and Neal27. Herein, we report our approaches to improve the reactivity of that system by removing benzannulation as well as changing the metal from iron to manganese and rhenium.

Furthermore, a methodological study on generating carbenes under mild conditions by elimination of α-halosilanes and its application towards metal complexed quinone methide …