Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Optical Properties Of Secondary Organic Aerosols, Felisha Imholt, Ryan Caylor, Matthew Wise, John Shilling

CUP Undergraduate Research

It is well known that the increased warming effect due to greenhouse gases is a major environmental concern. While the amount of solar radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to a high certainty, the amount absorbed by secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is not. The experimental procedure used to measure the amount of radiation absorbed by SOA was optimized using fulvic acid. The optimized method was then used to measure how much radiation SOA absorb between ~200 and 800 nm. Using this data, mass absorption coefficient (MAC) values at 405 nm and imaginary refractive indexes (k) were calculated. These values …

Composition And Optical Properties Of Secondary Organic Aerosol Particles, Felisha Imholt, Ryan Caylor, Matthew Wise, John Shilling

CUP Undergraduate Research

Research Questions:

• What is the chemical composition of SOA?
• Does SOA absorb UV/Vis radiation?
• If SOA does absorb UV/Vis radiation, how strong of an absorber is it?

Composition Of Secondary Organic Aerosols, Ryan Caylor, Felisha Imholt, Matthew Wise, John Shilling

CUP Undergraduate Research

The enhanced greenhouse effect is considered one our greatest global environmental problems. The amount of radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to high certainty. However, absorbance from atmospheric aerosols particles is not. This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition of secondary organic aerosol particles (SOA) and to determine the compositional effect on their optical properties. The SOA were created in a temperature controlled chamber at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, WA and collected on filters. The SOA were then analyzed for chemical composition using Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTIR). Analysis of the IR spectra revealed specific …

Optical Properties Of Secondary Organic Aerosols Using Ultraviolet/Visible Spectroscopy, Felisha Imholt

CUP Undergraduate Research

It is well known that the increased warming effect due to greenhouse gases is a major environmental concern. While the amount of solar radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to a high certainty, the amount absorbed by secondary organic aerosols (SOA) is not. Our study aimed to discover how much radiation SOA particles absorb between ~200 and 800 nm. The SOA were created in one of two temperature controlled Teflon chambers within Dr. John Shilling’s lab at PNNL and were collected on 47 mm Teflon filters. We used an ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis) spectrometer equipped with a liquid waveguide capillary flow …

2013 Ii Cu Suri (Common Poster), Vanessa Selimovic, Loriann Reese, Ruthie Nelson, Emma Sleeman, Hibery Ho, Maria Polozova

CUP Undergraduate Research

A common poster providing information for several research projects: aerosol particles, deoxycytidine kinase, squaraine rotaxanes, glycol nucleic acied, and Kombucha.

Progress Toward Removal Of The Purification Tag In A Putative Toxin Protein Via Site-Specific Mutagenesis And Proteolytic Cleavage, Joanna L. Fridlund, Bethany G. Taylor, Michael H. Godsey

CUP Undergraduate Research

Putative toxin protein BC_2332, isolated from Bacillus cereus, which is a relative of Bacillus anthracis, shows similarity in the active site to ADP-ribosylating proteins present in cholera and diphtheria. Preliminary attempts to measure the activity of the putative toxin were unsuccessful leading to the hypothesis that the purification tag is hindering the activity. This hypothesis is supported by crystal structure analysis showing the putative active site occupied by the purification tag. Our objective was to remove the purification tag, via two different methods, in order to relieve potential inhibition. Both methods have faced obstacles and the work is continuing.