Chemistry Commons^™

Electrochemical And Colorimetric Nanosensors For Detection Of Heavy Metal Ions: A Review, Sayo Fakayode, Charuksha Walgama, Vivian E. Fernand Narcisse, Cidya Grant

Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy Faculty Scholarship

Human exposure to acute and chronic levels of heavy metal ions are linked with various health issues, including reduced children’s intelligence quotients, developmental challenges, cancers, hypertension, immune system compromises, cytotoxicity, oxidative cellular damage, and neurological disorders, among other health challenges. The potential environmental HMI contaminations, the biomagnification of heavy metal ions along food chains, and the associated risk factors of heavy metal ions on public health safety are a global concern of top priority. Hence, developing lowcost analytical protocols capable of rapid, selective, sensitive, and accurate detection of heavy metal ions in environmental samples and consumable products is of global …

The Relationship Between Rock Climbing And Total Body Strength And Endurance, Madison Gamma, Alexa Bruce, Madison Massey, Ashlee Cordero

The Corinthian

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to assess the relationship between muscular strength and endurance and time to complete a rock wall climb.

Methods: The researchers of this study tested 22 participants ranging from 19-25 years of age. An informed consent and a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PARQ+) form were completed by each individual before being cleared to participate in this study. Data collection was completed on two separate days. On the first day, participants completed four fitness tests which consisted of a hand grip strength assessment, a 10-repetition maximum (RM) leg press, a flexed arm hang test, and …

Refinement Of Production Grade Biodiesel, Campbell Axt, Robert B. Hughley Jr., Sydney Ninneman, Jillian Turner

The Corinthian

The modified Burton method for the thermal hydrogen-cracking of peanut oil has been investigated in McGill Research Group since 2009. The successful and reliable production of biodiesel has been achieved since 2014. A hydrocarbon with a viscosity similar to Production Grade Diesel will work in modern diesel engines. The current product has a viscosity significantly lower than production grade diesel. The starting material has a viscosity significantly higher than Production Grade Diesel. Current research is investigating methodologies to mix starting material and product to achieve target viscosity.

Analyzing The Kinetics Of A Bromophenol Blue Fading Reaction In Basic Conditions For An Undergraduate Lab, Zeljka Popovic

Georgia College Student Research Events

Bromophenol blue is a common pH indicator and dye used in many different industries. Once a solution of bromophenol blue is placed in a concentrated basic solution, the color fades from a blue/violet color to clear solution with a pH of 4.6 or greater. The rate law of the reaction is analyzed through the use of a small footprint visible-near-infrared spectrometer (Vis-NIR) with a diode array detector. An absorbance wavelength of 590 nm as a function of time was collected using Ocean Optics OceanView software. The results contained in the data collection file are exported to a spreadsheet for further …

Kinetics Of Crystal Violet Color Fading Via A Small Footprint Diode Array Spectrometer, Paige Lott

Georgia College Student Research Events

Crystal violet is a pH indicator and is commonly used to classify bacteria. In acidic solutions, crystal violet is yellow in color and at approximately the pH of 1.6, it transitions to a violet color. Over time, this violet color fades as it reacts with the CO 2 in the air until it is clear. A small footprint visible-near- infrared spectrometer (Vis-NIR) with diode array detector was employed in this investigation. Using the software that operates the spectrometer, the absorbance of crystal violet solutions can be measured at 585 nm at high concentrations of base as a function of time. …

The Determination Of Caffeine Content In Decaffeinated Blackbird Coffee, Logan Chalmers

The Corinthian

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that increases one’s metabolic rate, alertness and motivation upon consumption. Consumer curiosity sparked the investigation of the caffeine content found in locally brewed Blackbird Coffee. A procedure involving liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane was developed to determine the amount of caffeine in store-bought, brewed caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. The caffeine amounts recovered were reproducible, thus the method was proved reliable and was implemented for the extraction of caffeine from Blackbird decaffeinated coffee. A single serving was determined to contain an average of 39 ± 12 mg of caffeine which is approximately 20% of the …

Se Habla Español: The Health Disparity Among The Latino Population, Karen Paz

The Corinthian

Latinos are considered the fastest growing and the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. It is estimated that by 2050, 24% of the U.S. population will be Latino. According to Census data, approximately 18% of the U.S. population age five or older speaks a language other than English at home, and current projections continue to show increases in U.S. immigrant and second-language groups nationwide. About half of that population self-reported that they speak English less than “very well.” Members of this population are referred to as individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). As the largest ethnic minority, 28 …

Transmetallation Of A Lithium Porphyrin With Iron(Ii), Kidus Debesai

The Corinthian

Synthesis and characterization of the iron(III) derivative of the 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octabromo-meso-tetrakis(N-methylpyridium-4-yl)porphyrin was accomplished via metal metathesis of the lithium porphyrin and iron(II) ion. Preliminary molecular orbital analysis of the iron(II) and iron(III) derivatives demonstrate that the iron(III) porphyrin exists at a lower energy state.

Progress Towards A Facile Synthesis Of A Gadolinium (Iii) Octabrominated Porphyrin, Tseng Xiong

The Corinthian

Towards preparing porphyrin complexes that combine contrast agent and photodynamic therapy capabilities at tumor sites, the Gd(III) porphyrin derivative of the octabrominated meso-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin, GdTMPyPBr8 5+ was synthesized by refluxing Gd(III) ion with H3TMPyPBr8 5+ at pH 7. The metallocomplex was characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy and showed a Soret band shift from 503 nm to 463 nm at pH 7, suggesting that metal insertion of Gd(III) into the core of porphyrin ligand had occurred. However, synthesis of the Gd(III) complex required high temperatures and long reaction times. To circumvent these harsh conditions, the lithium porphyrin derivative was first prepared and subsequently …

Sol-Gel Technology In Enhancing The Filtration Of Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds, David T. Nguyen, Jennie Ash, Chastity Ellison

The Corinthian

For the past several years, the field of sol-gel technology has undergone remarkable growth in areas ranging from micro-fibers to chemical sensors. Incorporating an organic phase into the colloidal mixture via pre- or post-doping can modify sol-gels, and manipulation of the size of the pores can be used in developing 'eco-friendly' water filters, particularly for filtering semi-volatile organic compounds in water. In this research project, various forms of sol-gels were made to see which is more efficient for certain semi-volatile chemicals that can be found in diverse sources of water. Organically modified silicates and different structurally sound sol-gels were made …

Test Of 3He Implanted Target, Caleb Dyer

The Corinthian

The proton-proton chains (p-p chains), a series of nuclear reactions were proposed several decades ago as a way in which hydrogen burning can occur in smaller main sequence stars. The ³He + ⁴He? ⁷Be reaction determines the path that the p-p chains follow. At present the cross section for this reaction has not been precisely determined. To measure this cross section a ³He target and ⁴He beam are to be used. ³He exists as a gas so a method to manufacture a solid ³He target was needed. A ³He beam was used …

"Middle Georgia Waters:" Chemical Analysis By Gc&Su Undergraduates, Melanie Mobley, Lance Cramer, Daniel Brooks, Catrena Higginbotham Ph.D

The Corinthian

Every living organism on Earth depends on water, many of which must consume liters of fresh water daily. Unfortunately, a readily available source of clean, fresh water is diminishing. Over the years, the fresh water supply has been polluted by biological and chemical sources. The nutrient levels and pesticide chemical contamination of several water locations in the Middle Georgia area were analyzed and monitored by chemistry majors at GC&SU over the past two years.

Determination Of Calories In Food Via Adiabatic Bomb Calorimeter, Kenneth C. Mcgill, Michelle L. Yasechko, Wendy K. Nkari

The Corinthian

The adiabatic bomb calorimeter has been an effective tool in facilitating heat transfer between molecules via combustion reaction. Heat is released from the substance combusted and transferred into another, usually water. The heat transferred is measured and the enthalpy of combustion determined for the combusted material. One such classic experiment is the determination of combustion enthalpy of sucrose, obtaining the calorimeter constant with benzoic acid. The results of an adiabatic combustion experiment can be taken one step further to determine the combustion enthalpy in kcal/g by a simple conversion calculation. Since food nutrition labels report calories per grams of serving …

Comparing Models For Measuring Ring Strain Of Common Cycloalkanes, Brad A. Hobbs

The Corinthian

The number of carbon atoms bonded in the ring of a cycloalkane has a large effect on its energy. A molecule's energy has a vast impact on its stability. Determining the most stable form of a molecule is a useful technique in the world of chemistry. One of the major factors that influence the energy (stability) of cycloalkanes is the molecule's ring strain. Ring strain is normally viewed as being directly proportional to the instability of a molecule. It is defined as a type of potential energy within the cyclic molecule, and is determined by the level of "strain" between …

Measuring The Pore Sizes Of Sol-Gels Using Argon Effusion Techniques, Thomas J. Noel Ii, Krista Mincey, Catrena Higginbotham

The Corinthian

The rate of effusion of argon through a sol-gel scaffold will be measured to determine the size of the pores. The effusion rate will then be used to correlate initial pore size to any pore shrinkage that occurs. We will attempt to control the initial pore size by using various-sized paraffin beads as templates throughout the organically modified tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) gel scaffold. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) will also be used to prop open the pore openings and keep them from closing during the drying process.

Determining Crystal Thickness By Measuring Optical Rotation In Chiral Crystals, Cori Bruce, James Bish, Jamie Walker

The Corinthian

In this experiment, it will be shown that the linear relationship between pathlength and observed rotation can be applied to predict the pathlength based on the observed rotation. It should be noted, however, that the method devised will only work for chiral crystals. When aqueous NaC103 solution evaporates two rotamers will form that will rotate plane-polarized light in equal but opposite directions. Hence, the crystals must be separated to obtain linear correlations in regards to the two rotamers.

Low-Flow Helmholtz Resonator For Molar Mass Detection, Brackman Amy, Amanda Kea, Kenneth Mcgill

The Corinthian

A simple apparatus was constructed for an undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory to determine a mathematical model of wavelike motion. The apparatus was assembled by attaching an airflow valve connected to a tank of argon gas to a GC column, thus creating regulated airflow. The air was manipulated to gently flow over a small sensitive microphone that was attached to an inexpensive resonator. A model will be developed to measure the speed of sound that will lead to the measurement of the molar mass.

Abstracts Of Student-Faculty Publications

The Corinthian

Abstracts of Student-Faculty Publications