Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Binding Interactions Of Biologically Relevant Molecules Studied Using Surface-Modified And Nanostructured Surfaces, Palak Sondhi

Dissertations

This research focuses on the field of surface nanobioscience, wherein different nanosurfaces that will be used as working electrodes in the electrochemical cell are manufactured and surface modified to understand the critical binding interactions between biologically significant molecules like proteins, carbohydrates, small drug molecules, and glycoproteins. This research is essential if we are to determine whether a synthetic molecule can serve as a therapeutic candidate or diagnose a disease in its early stages. In order to fully understand the binding interactions, the study begins with defining some of the fundamental concepts, principles, and analytical tools for biosensing.

Afterwards, we addressed …

Ferrocenium Salt Aided Substitution Reactions And Synthesis Of Glycosylated Curcumin Derivatives, Deva Saroja Talasila

Dissertations

Organic synthesis has been significantly advanced with the employment of transition metal complexes. The discovery of transition metal catalysts provided the synthetic community with powerful tools for accelerating reactions and making them more selective and efficient. Many chemical reactions do not happen without a catalyst.

Iron-based catalysts have several advantages for the chemical industry because it is a non-toxic and ecologically friendly metal. Our group previously found that ferrocenium cations with a 3+ oxidation state of iron-catalyzed propargylic substitution reactions at low temperatures. The sandwich structure of ferrocenes allows substituents to be introduced on the cyclopentadienyl rings, which allows for …

Development Of Rules Of Attraction For Intercalated Guest Molecules Inside Of A Hydrogen Bonded Framework, Matthew Fischer

Dissertations

Supramolecular chemistry has synthesized large and small molecules which host guest molecules for several decades. What started as a way to mimic of enzymes in nature, has exploded into a sea of materials such as porous coordination polymers, low-density metal-organic frameworks, inclusion compounds, and hydrogen bonded frameworks. We previously designed a layered framework consisting of a metal complex with coordinate covalent ligands. These ligands have peripheral carboxylic acid groups which hydrogen bond to organic pillars containing terminal amines. The layered structure is separated by these pillars, which are closed-packed, creating 1-dimensional channels able to co-crystallize molecules. There is interest in …

Steric Effects On The Formation Of Manganese Oxide Clusters And 2-Dimensional Ammonium Formate Architectures, Carl Oberle

Dissertations

It has been demonstrated by the Beatty group that altering the identity of the ortho-substituent of a dianiline counterion affects the assembly and dimensionality of a cadmium-chloride layer from 2-D to 0-D. This work seeks to extend this finding to metal oxide and organic hydrogen-bonded materials. By systematically increasing the ortho­-substituent’s size on the benzoate building block of reported manganese oxide clusters, of formula Mn_xO_y(O₂C-R)_zL_w (where R = Alkyl, L = neutral monodentate ligand), we aim to impact the self-assembly of these materials relative to their parent …

Functionalized Nanoporous Carbon Scaffolds For Hydrogen Storage Applications, Christopher Carr

Dissertations

Recent efforts have demonstrated confinement in porous scaffolds at the nanoscale can alter the hydrogen sorption properties of metal hydrides, though not to an extent feasible for use in onboard hydrogen storage applications, proposing the need for a method allowing further modifications. The work presented here explores how the functionalization of nanoporous carbon scaffold surfaces with heteroatoms can modify the hydrogen sorption properties of confined metal hydrides in relation to non-functionalized scaffolds (FS). Investigations of nanoconfined LiBH₄and NaAlH₄indicate functionalizing the carbon scaffold surface with nitrogen can shift the activation energy of hydrogen desorption in excess of …