Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Extraction Studies Of Toxic Multiply Charged Oxoanions From Aqueous Media Using Nanojars, Hartman Christian

Honors Theses

In this paper, the potential of nanojars as extracting agents of chromate and arsenate from aqueous media into a non-polar organic medium is investigated. Nanojars are a class of compounds that consist of multiple [cis-CuII(μ-OH)(μ-pz)]n cyclic polymerization isomers (n = 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14; pz = pyrazolato anion) that form from self-assembly reactions around a multiply-charged oxoanion core with capping counterions to render an overall neutral complex. This incarcerates the anion, preventing it from escaping the complex without the use of any covalent bonding, making it a potentially highly effective and unique extracting agent. We have concluded that …

Biosorption Of Pharmaceuticals And Noble Metals Nanoparticles By Algal Turf Communities, Haider Abid Faraj

Dissertations

Pharmaceuticals and nanoparticles are increasingly released into the aquatic ecosystem, while removing these contaminants from waters can be challenging. This study explores the use of periphytic algal turf communities to remove these contaminants. Initially algal turfs from different locations and aquatic systems were analyzed for pharmaceuticals commonly observed in wastewater outflows. Lab-grown turfs were exposed to a mixture of six representative pharmaceuticals of different functionality (acid, base, neutral and steroidal). Analysis of water column and the algal biomass showed pharmaceutical removal rates varied, specific to each pharmaceutical. Caffeine and estradiol had the highest removal rates while carbamazepine was not removed. …

Preparation Of Aminoalcohols And Their Application For The Synthesis Of Heterocycles And As Potential Sensors For Nerve Agents, David L. Sellers

Dissertations

Oxazoles and oxazolines are important heterocyclic scaffolds commonly used in pharmaceuticals and optoelectronic materials. Traditionally these heterocyclic compounds are prepared by condensation methodology that suffers from poor reactivity when using electron deficient or sterically crowded reaction partners. Condensation methods also exhibit low tolerance of many functional groups as the reactions typically use strong acids and high temperatures. This dissertation describes an alternate strategy for the formation of these compounds by employing an epoxide opening followed by oxidation to form these heterocyclic compounds.

Epoxide opening reactions with primary aliphatic, allylic, and benzylic amines, aminolysis reactions, often achieve high yields regardless of …

Understanding College Students’ Exam Process In A General Chemistry Course, Angela Willson

Masters Theses

The main way most college chemistry courses assess what a student has learned is through a summative exam. After introductory science courses, such as general chemistry, many students cite poor teaching and disappointing grades in these courses as a reason for dropping out of STEM programs. There has been a lack of qualitative research on students’ experiences of the complete process of taking an exam from start to finish, or the exam process, which includes preparing for an exam, taking an exam, receiving feedback, and responding to feedback after the exam has been graded.

My goal in this exploratory study …

N-Terminal Domains Of Copper Atpases In Plasmodium Falciparum, Dictyostelium Dicsoideum, Human Atp7b And A Chimera Of Atox1 With Metal Binding Domain Four Of Atp7b, Javan Kilango Kisaka

Dissertations

Copper transporting ATPases (Cu-ATPases) are essential for mediating copper uptake, maintaining cellular copper levels and prevention of accumulation of toxic copper. The most studied copper ATPases are the Menkes and Wilson proteins in eukaryotes, CopA and CopB found in bacteria. The precise interaction of the metal binding domains with their copper donor, the association of each metal binding domain within the N-terminal portion of the protein, how they communicate with each other, and the eventual metal ion translocation across the membrane, is little known. The variation in number of the cytosolic metal binding domains may also offer clues on the …

Effects Of Creatine, Leucine, And Ethanol On Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In C2c12 Skeletal Muscle Cells, Daniel Waters

Honors Theses

Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) is a protein expressed throughout the mammalian nervous system that serves several protective functions. Originally discovered in the brain, where it supports the survival of dopaminergic neurons, GDNF has since been shown to be expressed in skeletal muscle and is vital for the maintenance of motor neurons. The relationship between muscle hypertrophy, and GDNF is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hypertrophy and GDNF by inducing hypertrophy in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells using leucine and creatine, inhibiting hypertrophy using ethanol and measuring GDNF content. As measured …

Environmental Applications Of Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Wisam Abdulabbas Flayyih Al Isawi

Masters Theses

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LC-MS) are powerful analytical techniques that combine the separation power in a stationary phase with the detection power of mass spectrometry. GCMS and LC-MS have gained dominant positions in identifying and quantifying different analyte species due to their high selectivity, high sensitivity, and high reproducibility.

My research utilizes the analytical power of LC-MS and GC-MS to address two environmental issues: 1) Identification of biodegradation products of the ionic liquid 1- butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) by an activated sludge microbial community using LC-MS and 2) identification and quantification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in …

Application Of Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry For Ionic Liquids And Their Biodegradation Products, Sepideh Rahbarirad

Masters Theses

Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic salts with unique physico-chemical properties and are used as green alternatives to volatile organic solvents. ESI-MS is a sensitive technique to detect these stable, permanent ions. My research focused on (1) Identification of biodegradation products of ionic liquids and (2) Multiplexed tandem MS by modulation of ionization efficiency.

Studies, have demonstrated that ILs are toxic to the environment, which makes their biodegradability an important consideration. In this work, metabolites generated during the biodegradation of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIM), a degradation resistant and commonly used ionic liquid, are identified using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Multiplexed …

Design And Synthesis Of New Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs With Anti-Cancer Activity On Colon Rectal Cancer Cell Lines Hct-116 And Caco-2, Wanda Ivette Rodríguez Rivera

Dissertations

Colon rectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and is the third leading cause of cancer related deaths among western countries. Current chemotherapy treatments are highly toxic and mostly result in only a low percentage of tumor reduction; therefore an effective treatment with low toxicity is needed.

In this study, different innovative new COX-2 inhibitors were synthesized using the frame of biologically active chalcones to which active COX-2 pharmacophores SO₂CH₃, SO₂NH₂, SO₂NHCOCH₃ were added. Additionally, the effect of different alkyl chain lengths and the effect …

Synthesis Of New Platinum-Based Anti-Cancer Drugs, Saud O. Albaroodi Yasser

Masters Theses

Cancer is considered the second leading cause of death after heart attack. Different treatments have been applied to kill cancer cells such as chemotherapy, which is the use of chemicals or drugs in order to treat cancer cells. Platinum-based anti cancer drugs are the backbone of chemotherapy, they play a crucial role in treating various malignant tumor. However, the disadvantages of these drugs are very painful on patients, such as nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. In the last four decades, thousands of platinum-based anticancer drugs have been synthesized for hope in find a new drug with higher efficacy and less side effects.In …

Ultrafast Charge Carrier Dynamics In Bare And Surface-Modified Semiconductor Nanoparticles, Jameel Abdul-Hadi Hasan

Dissertations

Charge-carrier relaxation dynamics in semiconductor nanoparticles has been in the forefront of research for last three decades both for their fundamental nature as well as for applications in light-harvesting, luminescent labels, light-emitting diodes and nonlinear optics. Significant research has focused on II-VI semiconductors with emphasis on CdS and CdSe that are toxic. On the other hand, ZnO and TiO2 semiconductor nanoparticles are less toxic and have enormous applications in photo-catalysis, water splitting, solar cells and optical sensors. However, the investigations of charge-carrier dynamics in these semiconductor nanomaterials compared to II-VI semiconductor quantum dots are quite limited. The knowledge of charge-carrier …

Novel Spectroscopic Tools To Differentiate Molecule-Dna Binding Interactions, Sense Dna And Track Dna Melting, Saad Hmoud Alotaibi

Dissertations

The discovery of DNA as a genetic material and its double helical structure led to numerous studies directed at understanding molecule-DNA interactions. These studies have played an integral role in medical diagnostics, forensics, imaging and therapeutics. Typically, molecule-DNA interactions have two prominent modes: intercalation and minor groove binding. Several optical techniques are available that can monitor molecule-DNA binding interactions, but they cannot differentiate between intercalation and minor-groove binding. The major goals of the research are to develop novel optical spectroscopic tools that can differentiate molecule-DNA binding interactions, selectively and sensitively detect one form of DNA over another, and track DNA …

Probing The Unfolding And The Stability Of The Last Four Metal Binding Domains Of Wilson Disease Protein Using Circular Dichroism And Novel Spectroscopic Techniques, Ibtesam Yaseen Alja’Afreh

Dissertations

Wilson disease protein is a copper-transporting P_1B type ATPase. It has large N-terminal copper binding domain which is composed of six homologous sub-domains. Each of these six domains is ~72 residues and connected to one another by linking regions of various lengths. They all possess similar ferrodoxin fold, and metal-binding motif, MXCXXC.

The need of having six metal binding domains and the manner in which they are communicating with each other is not well understood. To better understand how the last four metal binding domains function, I pursued a detailed biophysical characterization of these domains. Using molecular biology I …

Ultrafast Interfacial Electron Transfer Across Molecule-Tio2 Nanocomposites: Towards Solar Cells And Two Photon Absorption, Edwin Mghanga

Dissertations

Interfacial charge transfer (ICT) across the molecule-TiO2 nanoparticle interface has gained enormous research attention for applications in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC), photo-catalysis, water splitting and nonlinear optics. DSSCs are promising clean alternative energy sources. However, current DSSCs suffer from lower efficiencies and higher cost. Better understanding of the ICT processes in DSSCs can help solve these problems. We have used two strategies to understand ICT in the context of DSSCs. Firstly, we used a computationally validated anchor group, acetylacetonate (acac) to bind molecules to the semiconductor surface and facilitate charge separation. Secondly, we used natural dye sensitizers, …

Electron Transfer In Pnicogen Bond, Liangyu Guan

Masters Theses

Abstract is available for download as a separate file.

Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistants: A Comparison Of The Classroom Discourse Within Expository And Problem-Based Learning Laboratories, Kelley M. Current

Masters Theses

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) commonly function as instructors within undergraduate chemistry laboratories. This study sought to explore and describe GTA classroom discourse within two distinct instructional modes, using discourse analysis as the theoretical framework. Theclassroom discourse within a series of verification style labs was comparedto the classroom discourse produced within a set of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) labs. The results suggest three primary findings: (1) the apparent relationship between the instructional mode and form of GTA classroom discourse, (2) the patterns in classroom discourse observed within a given instructional mode repeat, irrespective of content, and (3) the classroom discourse observed within …

Biophysical Characterization Of The First Four Metal-Binding Domains Of Human Wilson Disease Protein, Alia V.H. Hinz

Dissertations

Wilson disease protein (WLNP) is a P_1b-type ATPase crucial for maintaining copper homeostasis in humans. Mutations in this protein result in the autosomal recessive disorder Wilson disease, a condition characterized by copper accumulation in the liver and brain. WLNP provides copper for incorporation into cuproproteins and exports excess copper into the bile for excretion. There are six metal-binding domains (MBDs) in WLNP, found within the first 650 amino acids of this 1,465 amino acid protein. Though each MBD has a different amino acid sequence, all MBDs possess a similar ferredoxin fold with a conserved hydrophobic core and a …

Synthesis, Characterization And Potential Applications Of Palladium And Ruthenium Nanostructures, Clara Patrice Adams

Dissertations

Controlling the size and shape of metal nanostructures is important for tuning the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of materials, and consequently their potential technological applications. Modulating the morphology of metal nanostructures is essential to understanding the structure-function relationship (for example, optical, magnetic, catalytic, and electronic properties) under various environmental conditions. Our work describes the development of new procedures for the synthesis of well-defined isotropic and anisotropic nanoparticles consisting of palladium (Pd) and ruthenium (Ru). Characterization of the nanostructures was carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution-TEM (HRTEM), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and …

Size-Dependent Interactions Of Metal Nanoparticles With Fluorophores And Semiconductors, Liyana A. Wajira Ariyadasa

Dissertations

In recent years, nanoscale metallic particles have gained considerable interest due to their potential applications in advanced technology. Despite such interest, synthetic procedures that produce gram-scale, well-defined metallic nanoparticles with controlled size and shape, especially with diameters less than 5 nm remains a challenge. Our work has focused on developing synthetic procedures that produce well-defined platinum and palladium metal nanoparticles in the 1-5 nm size range. Thioether ligands were used as stabilizers and resulted in metal nanoparticles with controlled size. The nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy …

Fundamental Studies Of Protein Ionization For Improved Analysis By Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry And Related Methods, Kevin A. Douglass

Dissertations

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique in which a sample is converted to gas-phase ions that are subsequently separated and detected. It offers great speed, selectivity, and sensitivity during analysis, characteristics which have enabled it to become a leading method for the study of proteins. The applications of MS for these biologically significant macromolecules range from accurately determining identity and sequence to shedding light on post-translational modifications and protein-molecule interactions. As a first step towards analysis by MS, gas-phase protein ions must be formed. A common method for ionization is electrospray ionization (ESI), where a liquid sample including the …

Functional Variants Of Metal-Binding Domains 5 And 6 Of The Human Wilson Protein, Sandra Weitzner

Honors Theses

Wilson's disease is caused by mutations in atp7b, a gene that encodes a copper-transporting P_1B-type ATPase, otherwise known as the Wilson protein. Over 300 different mutations cause Wilson's disease, and we focused on missense mutations occurring in the 650 amino acid N-terminus of the Wilson protein. This portion of the protein includes six metal-binding domains that function to azquire Cu(I) from the cytosol, prior to passing it through the ATP-driven membrane-spanning pump. Of particular interest are metal-binding domains 5 and 6 (WLN5-6) since we know that they are absolutely required for function of the enzyme. Several missense mutations …

When All Seems Lost: A Discussion On The Implications Of Using Medicine For Scientific Advances, Rebecca Monterusso

Honors Theses

When All is Lost is a creative non-fiction piece following the lives of two fictional characters living during World War" and the Holocaust. It is meant to discuss the moral quandary when human experimentation is used for the purpose of scientific advancement. The two main characters lives' are depicted in a series of modified scenes that describe what happens to them throughout the war. Leo Weinstock is a Jewish man who is chosen for the high-altitude experiments at Dachau after he is imprisoned during Kristallnacht. Erich, on the other hand, is a young, successful Luftwaffe pilot defending his country. Both …

Using Soil Organic Matter As An Iron Chelate To Enhance The Efficiency Of Modified Fenton Oxidition Of Diesel Fuel In Arctic Soils, Mary K. Sherwood

Masters Theses

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the use of modified fenton chemistry on the treatment of three soils from the Canadian arctic, all with abundant soil organic matter, iron and manganese oxides, and diesel fuel contamination. The purpose of these studies was to (I) to assess modified fenton chemistry as a treatment option for petroleum-contaminated arctic soils, and (2) to evaluate the impact of soil organic matter on the modified fenton treatment of soils. Modified fenton treatment was compared for reactions in which ethylenediaminetetraacetate was added as a chelate vs. reactions in which the native soil organic matter was the …

Ultrafast Dynamics And Two-Photon Absorption Properties Of Chromophores At Interfaces, Semere Ghebru Bairu

Dissertations

Materials with large two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections found applications in several areas such as sensor protection, 3D micro/nano fabrication, photodynamic therapy, optical data-storage, multi-photon sensing, multi-photon microscopy and imaging. Several successful research strategies were developed in literature to achieve 2PA materials with enhanced cross-sections. However, the obtained cross-sections are far from adequate and there is a need to develop new strategies. In a parallel development, numerous research efforts were focused on studying the dynamics of interfacial charge-transfer (ICT) across chromophoresemiconductor interfaces, especially in the context of dye-sensitized solar cells. While investigating the fundamentals of ICT, it was found that these …

Study Of The Insulin Mimetic Sodium Orthovanadate In Glucosamine Induced Insulin Resistnace In Primary Rat Hepatocytes, Kalan Mcpherson

Masters Theses

Insulin resistance and type II diabetes is a disease state characterized by a lack of sensitivity of insulin to provoke a proper response in insulin sensitive tissues. Currently, we utilize glucosamine to increase flux through the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway (HBP) to induce an insulin resistance like state in primary rat hepatocytes. We tested the effectiveness of the insulin mimetic sodium orthovanadate to determine if it could elicit an insulin-like response under these conditions. Mixed results were obtained on the effectiveness of vanadate as an insulin mimetic in this insulin resistant model.

Metal-Organic And Supramolecular Architectures Based On Mechanically Interlocked Molecules, Isurika Rosini Fernando

Dissertations

The focus of this work is on mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs), which have unusual physicochemical and mechanical properties with potential applications in nano-scale/molecular devices and high strength materials.

Rotaxanes, for example, consist of an axle-like molecule threaded through a wheel-like molecule, with bulky groups at the two ends of the axle preventing the wheel from dissociating. The position of the wheel along the axle can be switched in a controllable and reversible manner by applying external stimuli, a feature that might lead to the next generation of computers. Molecularly woven materials (MWMs), another example of molecules with mechanically interlocked features, …

Equipment Qualification Of Ion Mobility Spectrometry And Method Development And Validation For Pharmaceutical Equipment Cleaning Validation, Amy Lee Heiser

Masters Theses

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) instrumentation has been identified as a suitable technology for the detection and reporting of drug product and detergent residues from pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment. Ion mobility is not a new technology, but is entering the field of cleaning validation because of tightened requirements from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The purpose of this thesis is to outline a practical implementation of the analytical technique, Ion Mobility Spectrometry in a cleaning validation program. Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) is fast and specific for the analysis of small organic molecules and has been gaining popularity in the pharmaceutical …

Direct Analysis Of Hops By Leaf Spray And Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry, Kari Blain

Masters Theses

The objective of this research is to develop a new and innovative method of hops analysis, which is much faster than standard testing methods, as well as reduce the amount of consumables and solvent used. A detailed discussion on the development of an ambient ionization mass spectrometry method called paper spray (PS-MS) and leaf spray (LS-MS) mass spectrometry will be presented. This research investigates the use of PS-MS and LS-MS techniques to determine the α- and β- acids present in hops. PS-MS and LS-MS provide a fast way to analyze hops samples by delivering data as rapidly as a UV-Vis …

Synthesis Of 1,1-Dialkyhydrazines And Their Hydroxyl Radical Degradation In Aqueous Environments, Benjamin F. Strong

Masters Theses

Determination of hydroxyl radical rate constants are essential to ensure adequate degradation of contaminants in wastewater. Hydrazines are an important class of organic contaminants and are the focus of this research. Ten 1,1-dialkylhydrazines are synthesized by the zinc reduction of the corresponding N-nitrosamines. Their hydroxyl radical rate constants are determined using the linear accelerator at the Notre Dame Radiation Laboratory at pH 4, 7, and 10.

Their rate constants are found to depend on the protonation state of the molecule. At pH 4 the molecules are fully protonated and hydrogen atom abstraction is favored from the alkyl chains. At …

Investigating The Biochemical Activity Of Some Flavonoids, Coumarins And Modified Gold-Nanoparticles As Anti-Breast-Cancer Agents, Amr Ezzat Mohamed Mahmoud

Dissertations

Polyphenols compounds are abundant natural products found in many plants as secondary metabolites. These compounds display many interesting pharmacological activities, which have motivated chemists over the years to explore them, and their synthetic derivatives, as potential drugs, especially anticancer drugs. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally, and in the United States of America the estimated worldwide new breast cancer cases and the number of deaths are 1.38 million and 458 thousand, respectively. Currently in the USA there are 2.6 million women who have been treated for breast cancer, and the estimated number of deaths are 39,520 …