Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Reducing Disposable Plastic Waste From Protein Quantitative Assays, Justin Buiter

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Protein concentration quantification is important for many areas of biology and biochemistry. This quantification happens in large quantities in laboratories and needs to be done accurately and quickly. The Bradford assay is one of the most common ways of accomplishing this task (1). This assay relies on the binding of the protein and the Coomassie Blue G250 dye. The anionic blue form binds to the protein and has a maximum at 595 nm. This allows for accurate quantification by reading how much of the sample absorbs at 595 nm (2).

In 2014, it was estimated that 5.5 million tons of …

Literature Search For Extraction And Characterization Of Fragrant Compounds From Ten Flowering Plants, Ember Smith

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This capstone literature project conducted a literature search on the extraction of essential oils from the leaves of ten different flowering plants using steam distillation and/or solvent extraction methods. Additionally, the project focused on characterizing and identifying the fragrant compounds present in the essential oils of these ten plants. By conducting a comprehensive literature search, this project provides a summary of the methods employed for extraction and the composition of fragrant compounds in each essential oil. A diverse range of fragrant compounds were found in various plants and flowers, including major and minor compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, terpenes, …

Bond Valence Sum Analysis On Compounds Prepared By Topochemical Manipulation, Yasmin Dayeh

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The Bond Valence theory of Brown (1978) has been extensively used to correlate metal oxidation state to coordination environment in solids. Although the bond valence sum (BVS) appears to be extremely useful to coordination chemists, it has not often been applied as an alternative measure of refinement quality. In this work, previously reported six layered perovskite compounds including, RbLaNb2O7, Rb2LaNb2O7, Rb2SxLaNb2O7 (x ≤ 0.8), NaLaNb2O7, (Cs2Cl)LaNb2O7, and (FeCl)LaNb2O7, that have been prepared by topochemical manipulation and their structures have been determined by Rietveld refinements were analyzed. Our focus was to explore whether the determination of oxidation state using the bond …

Determination Of Iron Content In Water, Sreenivasareddy Annem

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An easy, efficient and safe method was developed to determine iron in water samples. The method is an Iron Cell Test kit from Spectroquant in which firstly all iron ions are reduced to iron (II) ions by ascorbic acid. In a thioglycolate buffered medium, iron (II) reacts with a triazine derivative to form a purple complex that is determined photometrically. Calibration curve of iron standards was done with concentrations of 0.50, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 ppm and it gave a R2 value of 0.9989 and straight line equation y=0.4749x-0.046. Iron analysis was done on two sets of water samples. …

Method Development For Analysis A Of Phthalates S By Hplc, Uma Ranganadham

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The purpose of this study is to develop an analytical method for determining the concentration of dialkyl phthalates as part of a larger study of phthalate degrading bacteria. Specifically, bacteria isolated from polyaromatic hydrocarbon contaminated riverine sediment are being determined for their proficiency in degrading dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, and dibutyl phthalate." HPLC instrument was used for analysis of these phthalate derivatives. A reversed phase isocratic and gradient elution and UV detection method was used for the individual and simultaneous determination of these phthalate derivatives. HPLC was carried out using a C18 column and spectrophotometric detection at 230nm. An isocratic …

Preparation Of Au/Ag Nanoshells Through A Galvanic Replacement Reaction, Elizabeth Maschmeyer

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It generally requires solid metal templates of hollow metal structures with uniform morphology by the present galvanic replacement mediated-growth approaches. In this project report, we present a new and simple approach for the controllable synthesis of Au/Ag alloy nanoshells (NSs) by applying galvanic replacement reaction on hollow Ag template in the presence of gold salt. High quality thiol-coated spherical shape Au/Ag NSs were produced via this new synthetic approach and the hollow interior of the Ag template is very well preserved during the galvanic replacement reaction. Plasmonic property measurements reveal that Au/Ag NSs exhibit strong absorption peak and more importantly, …

Synthesis Of Au/Ag, Pd/Ag And Pt/Ag Nanoparticles By Galvanic Replacement Reaction, Sunnith Kumar Admala

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In recent years, galvanic replacement reactions have been successfully employed to produce bimetallic nanoparticles of a range of shapes, yet to date very few efforts have been devoted to develop methods for synthesizing smaller (<10nm) M/Ag; M=Au, Pt, Pd alloy particles using Ag hollow particles as sacrificial template. In this research work, we investigated new approach for the controllable synthesis of Au/Ag, Pd/Ag, and Pt/Ag alloy nanoparticles by applying galvanic replacement reaction on hollow Ag template in the presence of gold, palladium, and platinum salts. According to TEM analysis, the sizes of Au/Ag, Pd/Ag, and Pt/Ag alloy particle are 7.0±1.6 nm, 6.0±1.2 nm, and 3.0±0.8 nm, respectively. According to the study of optical property measurements on Ag hollow samples with increasing Au, Pt, and Pd content, it was observed that surface plasmon resonance peaks of the Au/Ag particles prepared with higher concentrated HAuCl4 solutions absorb at longer wavelengths and are red-shifted compared to the surface plasmon resonance of Ag hollow template. In the case of adding K2PdCl4 to Ag hollow sample resulted in blue shift of surface Plasmon resonance peaks for initial addition of palladium salt and further addition of K2PdCl4 caused the Plasmon peaks to diminish. Interestingly, our attempt to make Pt/Ag particle by reacting Ag hollow particles with various amounts of K2PtCl4 revealed that resulting alloy particles could still exhibit surface Plasmon resonance peaks for higher Pt content. Usually Pt and Pd nanoparticles do not exhibit surface plasmon resonance peaks in the visible spectrum. This work provides a model for a design of M/Ag; M=Au, Pt, Pd alloy particles, where combining Ag hollow samples with increasing amounts of Au, Pt, and Pd can provide successful execution of tenability of surface plasmon resonance.

Manipulating The Optical Properties Of Hollow Pd/Ag And Pt/Ag Nanoparticles Synthesized By Galvanic Replacement Reaction, Salvador Alcantar

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Considerable efforts have recently been devoted to the fabrication of metallic nanostructures on account of their tunable morphologies which can lead to new and fascinating optical properties. These properties of a metallic nanostructure are most determined by their size, shape, composition and structure. Hollow metallic nanostructures have attracted much interest as their surface plasmonic properties and catalytic activities are completely different from those of solid nanoparticles. Galvanic replacement reaction (GRR) was known to be a powerful synthetic technique for converting solid metal nanostructures into hallow ones. These hollow nanostructures have high specific surface area, low density, use less material and …

Purification And Analysis Of A Pteroic Acid Conjugate, Naveen Kumar Ganji

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(FR) is overexpressed on the cell membrane in cancer tissues and activated macrophages associated with rheumatoid conditions. However, FR is restricted in normal healthy tissues. Folic acid has shown high affinity to folate receptors and thus can be used in targeting the tumor cells. Folic acid residue, pteroic acid is also used in several studies that are involved in targeting cancer cells. Several examples include technetium -99m radiotracer labelled pteroyl-lys conjugates, pteroic acid-conjugated nitroheterocyclic phosphoramidates..

In this project, we were successfully able to conjugate pteroic acid with polyethylene Glycol-Amine to create an elegant building block(pte-PEG-amine) for synthesis of future imaging …

Synthesis And Analysis Of Folate Histidine, Alexander Kampner

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A compound was specifically designed to further aid research on the detection and treatment of folate receptor positive cancer cells. A small but complex peptide chain was commercially produced to have a flexible glycine spacer and a six-histidine tag. Histidine tagging was chosen for its ability to bind to nickel. The compound in this report was purified and analyzed by HPLC and confirmed via mass spectrometry. This binding capacity and the ability of folate conjugates to bind to cancer cell receptors have both been explored for the past quarter of a century [1-3]. Folate conjugates have been successfully used as …

Analysis Of An Ion Suppression Device Coupled With An Ion Chromatography System, Sam John

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A priority of chromatographers is to eliminate extraneous and errant noise that can interfere with any experiment. The goal is to focus on what is being analyzed, and in the case of detectors, modifying the instrument being utilized is the method of choice. One way to do that in ion chromatography (IC) is through the use of a suppressor.

Though not all instruments utilized in IC are equipped with suppressors, it is ideal to help reduce the ions already known to be present in the eluent. The premise of this study is simple in nature, but important in its application. …

Folate-Peg-Histidine For Use In Detection, Capture, And Analysis Of Fr+ Cells, Sean Dwyer

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Folate receptor alpha is a membrane-bound protein displaying high affinity for folic acid. This receptor serves as a receptor-mediated transport system of folic acid into cancer and cells associated with inflammation (e.g., macrophages). Folate is a basic component of cell metabolism in both the synthesis of DNA and proteins, which is hypothesized to be necessary for maintaining adequate processes during increased metabolic demand. Interestingly, most normal cells in the body have little or no high affinity folate receptor alpha. Based on these attributes, folate based drug delivery, imaging systems, and diagnostic systems are in several stages of development worldwide. To …

Feasibility Study Of Waste Isolation And Characterization By Instrumental Methods, Janith A. Wiehe-Wazio

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The original focus of this project was to develop an in house procedure for the recovery of commonly used science laboratory solvents consisting of Acetone, Ethyl (Ethanol) Alcohol, Hexane, Methanol and Hydrochloric Acid from everyday laboratory waste. However, the projects scope shifted a little further back to basics when it was discovered that Laboratory Waste Safety and Accounting practices were insufficient. It was assumed that identification of waste products was being recorded accurately. It became apparent with the very first waste bottle analysis that chemicals recorded on the standardized waste log sheets were not always what was in the waste …

Tandem Mass Spectrometric Analysis Of Phosphoamino Acid-Metal Ion Complexes, Urmi Patel

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The complex of phosphoamino acid with metal ions was prepared by mixing both solutions and analyzed using ESI MS/MS technique. In this study, O-phospho-L-serine and O-phospho-L-tyrosine were used as phosphoamino acids and single charged metal ions such as Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+ and Ag+ were used to study the dissociation patterns when combined with phosphoamino acid. The complexes were successfully fragmented in mass spectra using ESI MS/MS technique and the fragmentation products were studied and the dissociation patterns were proposed.

Determining % Proliss 100 In Keratin Mousse Using Iodine Solution Method, Quiana Moore

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The objective of this experiment is to quantitatively determine the amount of active raw material Proliss 100 manufactured and supplied by a formulation company. The goal is to reproduce the percent of Proliss in Keratin Mousse production sample provided to consumers and provide measurements to be used to assess the accuracy of production with comparison to provided percent formulation for each batch. An iodine solution titration method was performed for this experiment due to the reduction-oxidation reactivity of the Proliss 100. This experiment is still undergoing further testing due to the confidentiality agreement between the manufacturer and formulator.

Analysis Of Tyrosine And Its Halogenated Forms And Tripeptide –Metal Ion Clusters Using Mass Spectrometry, Bharathi Gannamani

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Chapter 1:

The aim of this research project was to measure the differences in proton affinities of tyrosine and its halogenated forms, 3-chlorotyrosine and 3-iodotyrosine. Tandem mass spectrometry was used here to measure the proton affinities. These amino acids were formed as protonated dimers with amino acids of known proton affinity and were introduced into the instrument through electrospray ionization (ESI). Based on the intensities of the protonated amino acids appeared in the mass spectrum when the dimer was isolated and fragmented, the proton affinities of the sample amino acids were calculated.

Chapter 2:

The research project was on mass …

Green Chemistry, Mary Lynn Koster

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In the academic year of 2014-2015, Governors State University will be accepting and enrolling freshman into the university. Therefore, the chemistry department will be offering general chemistry for the first time in its history. Now is the time to introduce the concept of Green Chemistry. Green Chemistry is not a new class but a philosophy that the department or at least the individual experiments within a lab course needs to looks at. There are 12 Principles of Green Chemistry:

1. Prevention
2. Atom Economy
3. Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
4. Designing Safer Chemicals
5. Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
6. Design for Energy Efficiency
7. Use of Renewable …

The Kinetic Method: Determination Of Proton Affinity Of Proline By Cis And Trans Hydroxylation, Vinod Kanchi

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Unknown Proton affinity (PA) of the amino acids were determined by comparing them with known PA of the reference standards. Initially we mixed 2 amino acids together [unknown (PA) and known (PA)] and introduce into mass spectrometer using direct infusion. After injecting we observe the peaks. The protonated dimer peak of known PA and unknown PA samples were isolated and fragmented. Once they were fragmented protonated dimer will produce two peaks corresponding to amino acid with unknown PA and amino acids with known PA. Based on the ratio of these amino acids we determine the unknown PA of an amino …

Folate Targeted Agents For Diagnostic And Therapeutic Uses, Mekeda Carr

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Folic acid has been frequently exploited for target therapies geared toward overexpressed folate receptors on malignant cells. The folic acid/folate-receptor high affinity interaction can be used to not only target but image cancer cells. Folate-linked nanoparticles represent a potential new drug carrier for tumor cell-selective therapeutics. Folate targeting, nanoparticles in therapeutics, and cancer cell imaging will be outlined in this literature report.

Method Development And Analysis For Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Surface Water, Victoria Ruelas

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Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCP) in surface waters is a worldwide concern. Effluent from waste water treatment plants have tested positive for PPCP. Method development for a liquid chromatographic method was derived using columns with fused core technology. Analysis of spiked samples as direct injection and after solid phase extraction indicated detection of acetaminophen, caffeine, bisphenol-A and triclosan. Confirmation of acetaminophen, caffeine, bisphenol-A and triclosan was achieved using Agilent 1100 HPLC with Agilent MST Trap XCT. Solid phase extraction using Oasis HLB indicated reproducibility at 0.05ppm.

The Determination Of Mercury Levels In Aquatic Avian Populations Using Atomic Spectroscopy Techniques, Peter M. Klaeser

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Mercury contamination has been shown to have a negative impact in fish-eating birds, including impacts on behavior, reproductive success, and their overall survival. Higher than normal mercury levels have been detected in birds who depend on fish for their food. High levels of mercury have been detected in the bird’s blood and feathers using analytical techniques. The present accepted method of determining levels of mercury in feathers and blood is the use of atomic spectroscopy. The amount of mercury in feathers appears to depend on the growth of the feathers with more growth associated with lower levels of mercury contamination. …

Uhplc In The Analysis Of Drug Components, Rana Chandra Sekhar Reddy Pulagam

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The main objective of this article is to highlight the new trends that have emerged in the enhancement of the HPLC which have given rise to the use of UHPLC. This innovative tool is much more reliable and effective as compared to HPLC, in the investigation of many chemical compounds. In this article, special insight is given on the changes that have been made with regards to both instruments. In this article focus is also placed on the implementation of UPLC in various fields of interest, in order to enhance the processes for which it is utilized. The pros and …

Development Of Method For Detection Of Lead In Samples Collected From Keweenaw Peninsula Mines, Michigan In Collaboration With Environmental Biology Research Students, Sindhu Reddy Aaireddy

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Mining is one of the most important industries and a main cause of global pollution due to release of heavy metals into air, water, and soil. Some of these elements are persistent in the environment for years and bioaccumulation in living organisms causing toxic effects. Such elements are known as PBTs (persistent, bioaccumulate and toxic). The nature of toxicity depends on the properties, size of population exposed to it and period of exposure. For this reason, we are interested in developing a method to detect heavy metals in soil samples, mine tailings, plant and animal samples collected from surroundings of …

Study And Identification Of Environmental Nanoparticles In Governors State University (Gsu's) Agricultural Fields, Ekta Desai

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Main purpose of this project is to study nanoparticles in Governors State University’s agricultural field and design experimental protocol for the same. Nanoparticles have one dimension that measures between 1 - 100 nanometers or less. Nanoparticles are widely used in day to day life such as in medicines, textiles, manufacturing and cosmetics. Due to their wide use, they can enter environment through many ways such as accidental spills during handling. Waste water treatment plant disposal serves as a main source of their entrance into the environment. Analysis of nanoparticles in environmental samples presents a number of challenges, including separation and …

Folic Acid And Its Receptors, Jacqueline Spreadbury

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Folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B9, is essential for various functions in the human body and life as we know it. Folate is the compound that occurs naturally in food, and folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin. Chemically speaking, folic acid has the hydrogen (H+) attached to the compound whereas folate is the conjugate, having lost the hydrogen (H+). Structure, Functions of Folate, Folic Acid in Bacteria, Folate Receptors, and Folic Acid Receptor in Macrophages are discussed in this literature review project. (abstract by OPUS staff)

Synthesis Of A Folate Conjugated Fluorescent Imaging Dye, Daniel Bonner

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In recent years methods of selective targeting of pathologic cells have become increasingly important for both detection and treatment of various cancers. The use of folic acid as a selective therapeutic and targeting agent for cancer cells is becoming ever more significant. This is due to the well characterized up regulation of folate receptors for cancer cells.

In this experiment we focus on the development of a new folate conjugate dye by using a small fluorescent molecule known as Oregon Green 514 for fluorescent imaging of cancer cells. To obtain this objective we I inked folate with Oregon green 514 …

Literature Search On Using Dendrimer Nanoparticles As Drug Delivery Vehicles, Sivateja Kasaraneni

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The architectural design of dendrimers, multivalency, well-defined molecular weight and higher degree of branching differentiates them as unique and excellent nanocarriers in therapeutic applications such as drug delivery, gene transfection, tumor therapy, imaging and diagnostics. Nanoparticle drug-delivery systems are well known to increase the stability and selectivity of therapeutic agents. However immunogenicity, reticuloendothelial system uptake, drug leakage, cytotoxicity, hemolytic toxicity, poor aqueous solubility restrict the use of these drug delivery systems. These defects are overcame by surface engineering of the dendrimer molecule.

Drug molecule can be efficiently conjugated or encapsulated into the interior of the dendrimer or physically adsorbed onto …

Quality Assurance Plan Project For Copper Determination Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Bharath Raparthi

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This study developed a method for determination of Copper by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) from the soil samples and mine tailings using Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 800 atomic absorption spectrometer. A detailed procedure has been developed with a detection limit of 0.12 mg/L. In the recent decades, pollution from heavy metals has been increased. Copper is one of the trace metals that has a significant impact and carries risk to the human health. Calibration curve was established with working range 0.1 ppm to 5 ppm with a correlation coefficient of 0.9994. Over 50 environmental samples from the historic Copper mining …

Evaluation And In Vitro Studies Of Folate Peg Biotin And Other Peg Agents, Syed Zahid Hussain

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Folate is a member of vitamin B family and plays an essential role in cell survival by participating in the biosynthesis of nucleic and amino acids. Receptors folic acid are frequently over expressed on epithelial cancer cells. These receptors are believed to serve as a receptor-mediated transport system of folic acid into cancer cells and cells associated with inflammation. Interesting, most normal cells in the body have lower frequency of these receptors. Based on these attributes, folate based drug delivery, imaging systems, and diagnostic systems are in several stages of development worldwide.

In this current project, we have characterized the …

Method For Arsenic Detection In Mine Samples From The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Vinay Babu Yalamanchili

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Arsenic is the 20th abundant element in the earth crust. High concentrations of Arsenic is seen in mine operating countries which can affect public health and biological environment. This may reach to drinking water through ground or surface run-off water. Long term exposure to arsenic causes cancer of bladder, skin, and lungs. So detecting the amount of arsenic in soil and drinking has been an analytical challenge. Arsenic is found in variety of chemical forms in organic and inorganic compounds which results in chemical and physical interferences in the analysis. Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (GFAAS) was used to measure …