Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Application Of Mass Spectrometry For The Characterization Of Synthetic Oligomers And Natural Lignin, Poorya Kamali

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

As part of the ongoing effort to substitute finite fuel and chemical resources with renewable ones, biomass is emerging as one of the most promising sources. Biomass consists of three main components of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Traditionally, cellulose has been used extensively in pulping industry, while lignin has been considered waste and is burned to generate heat. Lignin, a complex aromatic polymer component of biomass, has the potential to be used as a source of aromatic chemicals and pharmaceutical synthons. The recalcitrant nature of lignin, the lack of effective lignin breakdown methods and analytical techniques to analyze it are …

Reactivity Of Ketyl And Acetyl Radicals From Direct Solar Actinic Photolysis Of Aqueous Pyruvic Acid, Alexis J. Eugene, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The variable composition of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) contributes to the large uncertainty for predicting radiative forcing. A better understanding of the reaction mechanisms leading to aerosol formation such as for the photochemical reaction of aqueous pyruvic acid (PA) at λ ≥ 305 nm can contribute to constrain these uncertainties. Herein, the photochemistry of aqueous PA (5-300 mM) continuously sparged with air is re-examined in the laboratory under comparable irradiance at 38° N at noon on a summer day. Several analytical methods are employed to monitor the time series of the reaction, including (1) the derivatization of carbonyl (C═O) functional …

Methods Development In Biological Mass Spectrometry: Application In Glycoproteomics, Sanja Trajkovic

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Proteomics refers to global characterization of the full set of proteins present in a biological sample. Various analytical disciplines contribute to proteomics but mass spectrometry became method of choice for analysis of complex protein samples.

Mass spectrometry allows for high throughput analysis of the proteome but, moreover, it has the ability to acquire higher-order information such as post-translational modifications (PTM). Glycosylation is the most abundant PTM on eukaryotic proteins.

This dissertation will focus on method development for structural proteomics that will be utilized to explain the glycoproteome of obligate intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii as a model system.

Optimization of …