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- Chemistry (5)
- Catalysis (3)
- Manure (3)
- Treatment (3)
- Alginate (2)
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- Biochemistry (2)
- Electrophilic aromatic substitution (2)
- Methylbiphenyl (2)
- Nitration (2)
- Polymer (2)
- 2-methylbiphenyl (1)
- 8-amino-2-naphthol (1)
- Absorbance (1)
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- Burkholderia (1)
- CAFO (1)
Articles 1 - 27 of 27
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Activation Of Hydrogen By Sterically Modulated Coinage Metal Catalysts Via Mutual Quenching Of Hard/Soft Acid/Base Mismatches, Zach Leibowitz
Activation Of Hydrogen By Sterically Modulated Coinage Metal Catalysts Via Mutual Quenching Of Hard/Soft Acid/Base Mismatches, Zach Leibowitz
Honors Projects
To mitigate the devastating environmental impacts of climate change in the coming decades, it is imperative that we replace the use of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric. As these renewable energy sources are inherently intermittent, there exists a need for sustainable mechanisms to store renewable energy for later use. While the direct use of dihydrogen (H2) as a combustible fuel would allow for energy storage without the harmful release of carbon dioxide (CO2) upon combustion, the practicality of H2 as a synthetic fuel is limited by its low …
Synthesis Of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes Of Coinage Metals And Their Application In The Activation Of Hydrogen, Maryam Akramova
Synthesis Of N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes Of Coinage Metals And Their Application In The Activation Of Hydrogen, Maryam Akramova
Honors Projects
The main cause of the ongoing global climate crisis is the emission of greenhouse gases, and current climate reports emphasize the need to transition to low-emission renewable energy sources. Urgently needed are methods for storing renewable energy, such as synthetic fuels like hydrogen (H2) gas; however, a challenge to the widespread implementation of hydrogen fuel is its low volumetric energy density. This thesis describes an effort to synthesize a catalyst that takes advantage of hard-soft acid-base (HSAB) mismatches to activate H2 and facilitate its reaction with CO2 to form hydrocarbon fuels, thereby providing a sustainable means …
Computer Simulation Of The Light Absorption Band Of The Jumping Spider Isorhodopsin, Noah Zoldak
Computer Simulation Of The Light Absorption Band Of The Jumping Spider Isorhodopsin, Noah Zoldak
Honors Projects
In order to simulate the photoisomerization of the 9-cis Jumping Spider Isorhodopsin (JSiR-1) it is necessary to first simulate its light-absorption band. Here we report on the absorption band simulated using protein models constructed using the advanced Automatic Rhodopsin Modeling (a-ARM) program. A population of S0 models was created and the corresponding S0 to S1 transitions were determined for each member of the resulting population. The calculation resulted in a Gaussian plot showing that the wavelength of the absorption maximum of 560 nm (a violet color) that is consistent, but red-shifted, with respect the experimentally observed value.
Standardization Of A Latent Blood Visualizer Based Upon Dna Degradation, Kailey M. Van 'T Hoff
Standardization Of A Latent Blood Visualizer Based Upon Dna Degradation, Kailey M. Van 'T Hoff
Honors Projects
Latent blood visualizers have been used in forensic science since 1937 beginning with Luminol. These visualizers through different types of reactions react with trace amounts of blood that cannot be seen with the naked human eye. These different reactions produce color that can then be seen by examiners. The four types of latent blood visualizers that were compared is luminol, leuco crystal violet, fluorescein, and bluestar. Luminol and bluestar use chemiluminescence, fluorescein uses florescent, and leuco crystal violet uses oxidation to react with iron in hemoglobin. At crime scenes when blood is detected which includes with the blood visualizers the …
The Synthesis And Purification Methodology Of An Intermolecular Pyrophosphate Sensor: Applications For The Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction, Ethan Gevedon
Honors Projects
The optimized synthesis and purification methodology for an intermolecular pyrophosphate sensor scaffold molecule was performed: high performance liquid chromatography afforded the scaffold in excellent purity and yield. The applications of the sensor assembly in the quantitative polymerase chain reaction were discussed, and preliminary results show that
The Effects Copper Has On Casting Glass, K. Malika Haver
The Effects Copper Has On Casting Glass, K. Malika Haver
Honors Projects
The aim of this honors project was to discern the difference between how various types of copper reacted with glass. The two disciplines that were connected were chemistry and glassblowing. The basic components learned in chemistry were applied to glass with an end goal of a project installation that visualized the discoveries with copper. The glassblowing technique used was lost wax casting, and the two types of copper used were copper foil and fine copper metal powder. The copper was found to turn the glass into various blues with the intensity and darkness of the blues being dependent on the …
Antimicrobial Activity Of Bacterial Virus Components: An Empirical Investigation Of The Killing Capacity Of Toxins From Burkholderia, Kyle Walny
Honors Projects
Given the growing issue in healthcare of antibiotic resistance, effective and safe alternative treatment methods are required. One of these possible alternative treatment methods is bacteriotoxins including bacteriocins and tailocins. The focus of this study is a bacteriotoxin from Burkholderia cenocepacia (ATCC 25608), which was induced for toxin using a modified UV light induction procedure and tested against a variety of Pseudomonas and Burkholderia for its killing capacity. Various other pathogenic strains were then induced with UV light and tested. The results showed that the toxin from ATCC 25608 was very effective against most of the Burkholderia tested and warrants …
Assessing Competitive Reaction Rates In The Nitration Of 2-Methylbiphenyl, Biphenyl, And Toluene To Determine Steric Restriction In Resonance-Stabilized Planarization Of The Carbocation Intermediates, Victor A. Hanson, Tristan Wine, Kevin Bartlett, Joshua Padilla, Alessandro Rizzi
Assessing Competitive Reaction Rates In The Nitration Of 2-Methylbiphenyl, Biphenyl, And Toluene To Determine Steric Restriction In Resonance-Stabilized Planarization Of The Carbocation Intermediates, Victor A. Hanson, Tristan Wine, Kevin Bartlett, Joshua Padilla, Alessandro Rizzi
Honors Projects
Electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) reactions have long been a fundamental addition to sophomore-level organic chemistry classes, allowing students the opportunity to explore the electron donating and withdrawing effects of electrons contained in the substituents of the aromatic reactant. In this paper we present preliminary findings on the nitration of methylated biphenyls using kinetic and regioselective assessments to analyze steric influences on the planarization of 2-methylbiphenyl after EAS nitration. Our preliminary findings show that nitration favors the methylated phenyl ring of 2-methylbiphenyl, indicating that the steric influence of the methyl group restricts planarization of the carbocation intermediate. Furthermore, a competition nitration …
Modeling Biliary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolites In Fish Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography With Fluorescence Detection, Principal Component Analysis, And Partial Least-Squares Analysis, Joshua C. Padilla
Honors Projects
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) constitute a diverse class of highly toxic, ubiquitous environmental pollutants, and are thus of high interest in environmental monitoring and regulation. In this study, biliary samples of English soles Parophrys vetulus and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu from Seattle waterways, and chum salmon Onchorynchus keta from the north Pacific Ocean were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) to gauge PAH exposure. Samples were profiled in three broad molecular weight categories, to capture naphthalene-like (NAPH), phenanthrene-like (PHEN), and benzo[a]pyrene-like (BAP) metabolites. While quantification was not achieved for the chum salmon, the semi-quantitative measurements of …
The Regiochemistry And Relative Reaction Rates Of Methylbiphenyl Isomers In Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Reaction (Eas) Nitrations Suggest A Non-Planar Geometry For 2-Methylbiphenyl While 3- And 4-Methylbiphenyl Remain Planar, Tristan Pj Wine
Honors Projects
Electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) reactions have long been a fundamental addition to sophomore-level organic chemistry classes, allowing students the opportunity to explore the electron donating and withdrawing effects of electrons contained in the substituents of the aromatic reactant. In this paper we present preliminary findings on the nitration of methylated biphenyls using kinetic and regioselective assessments to analyze steric influences on the planarization of 2-methylbiphenyl after EAS nitration. Our preliminary findings show that nitration favors the methylated phenyl ring of 2-methylbiphenyl, indicating that the steric influence of the methyl group restricts planarization of the carbocation intermediate. Furthermore, a competition nitration …
Pectin And Alginate Extraction To Treat Liquid Cafo Manure, Clare Sunderman
Pectin And Alginate Extraction To Treat Liquid Cafo Manure, Clare Sunderman
Honors Projects
For this project, various extraction methods were used to extract pectin from Pastinaca Sativa and alginate from Macrocystis. These extractions were then dried and used in treating 250mL of manure along with a CaCl2 or FeCl3 coagulant. It was found that CaCl2 was not as effective as FeCl3 in coagulating manure. But the results obtained suggest that pectin and alginate obtained with a simpler extraction method is just as effective as the highly purified and refined pectin and alginate produced for the food industry, in the treatment of CAFO manure. The liquid portion of the …
The Photocatalytic Degradation Of Ibuprofen And Atenolol Using Bismuth Oxychloride And Titanium Dioxide, Kamyron Anthony Speller
The Photocatalytic Degradation Of Ibuprofen And Atenolol Using Bismuth Oxychloride And Titanium Dioxide, Kamyron Anthony Speller
Honors Projects
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are contaminating natural bodies of water and are problematic for aquatic organisms and ecosystems. Generally, PPCPs are introduced to water systems due to incomplete removal by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). As such, it is vital to find ways to remediate these problematic contaminants before they are discharged into the environment. In this study, two photocatalysts¾titanium dioxide (TiO2) and bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl)¾were compared to determine their relative efficiencies (degradation rates) and dominant degradation mechanism (hydroxyl radical production or direct oxidation) with the goal of photocatalytically degrading two pharmaceuticals, atenolol and ibuprofen, using UV …
Solvent Effect On Excited State Proton Transfer Mechanism Of 8-Amino-2-Naphthol, Gabrielle Vandendries
Solvent Effect On Excited State Proton Transfer Mechanism Of 8-Amino-2-Naphthol, Gabrielle Vandendries
Honors Projects
Photoacids, compounds that undergo excited state proton transfer (ESPT), have been utilized in different solar energy and lithographic applications.1, 2 The addition of functional groups and solvent can both change the ESPT mechanism of photoacids. In this study, the effect of solvent on the ESPT mechanism was explored using a model diprotic photoacid, 8-amino-2-naphthol (8N2OH). The photochemistry of 8N2OH in water and common nonaqueous solvents, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and methanol, were studied using UV/Vis absorption, steady-state emission, and time-correlated single photon counting (TCPSC) emission spectroscopy. The results were analyzed using the Kamlet-Taft parameters. It was found that the ESPT mechanism …
Chemistry In Art: The Science Of Dye, Madeleine Gray Burland
Chemistry In Art: The Science Of Dye, Madeleine Gray Burland
Honors Projects
Fabric arts, and the practice of dyeing fabric using various resist techniques, is a tradition that goes back centuries, and is unique among art mediums in its relation to science, as the innovations in dye production have directly affected the art form. The development of synthetic dyes in the 1800’s greatly affected the way fabric is dyed, and subsequently the way clothes were made and consumed. As opposed to dyes made of natural materials, synthetic dyes cam in more colors, were brighter, easier to make in large quantities, and lasted longer since they didn’t fade with repeated washings. The practice …
Characterization Of O-Linked Glycosylated Neuropeptides In The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus): The Use Of Peptide Labeling Following Beta Elimination, Edward Myron Bull
Characterization Of O-Linked Glycosylated Neuropeptides In The American Lobster (Homarus Americanus): The Use Of Peptide Labeling Following Beta Elimination, Edward Myron Bull
Honors Projects
Neuropeptides are a class of small peptides that govern various neurological functions, and the American lobster (Homarus americanus) provides a model system for their characterization. Neuropeptides are commonly post-translationally modified (PTM), and one common PTM is glycosylation. Past research in the Stemmler lab has found glycosylated neuropeptides in H. americanus; however, the extent and biological role of this modification has not been well characterized. This study was undertaken to determine the number of glycosylated peptides in the sinus glands of H. americanus and to develop an approach to tag the site of glycosylation using beta-elimination chemistry. LC-MS …
N,N’-Dimethyimidazolium-2-Carboxylate As A Ligand Precursor For The Accession Of A Constrained Olefin Dimerization Catalyst, Michael Harris
N,N’-Dimethyimidazolium-2-Carboxylate As A Ligand Precursor For The Accession Of A Constrained Olefin Dimerization Catalyst, Michael Harris
Honors Projects
A significant market share of modern plastics is held by long-chain hydrocarbon polymers, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, properties of which can be dramatically changed by addition of linear α-olefins. Production of linear α-olefins involves the creation of many unwanted byproducts, representing significant quantities of both economic and ecological waste. While catalysts have been designed to selectively produce industrially useful olefins, these catalysts often encounter challenges such as synthesis of other unwanted byproducts, slow reaction times, and difficulty of synthesis. Based on one such prior catalyst, we report here synthetic work towards a cobalt catalyst with a constrained N-heterocyclic carbene …
The Spectroscopic And Computational Exploration Of Sulfur Hydrogen Bonding, Andrew Yoonkeun Lee
The Spectroscopic And Computational Exploration Of Sulfur Hydrogen Bonding, Andrew Yoonkeun Lee
Honors Projects
Hydrogen bonds are a subset of non-covalent interactions that occur between X-H — Y, in which X and Y are the very electronegative atoms. In our research, we examine the more unconventional hydrogen bond-like interactions of thiol (SH) containing molecules using vapor-phase infrared (IR) spectroscopy and ab initio computational chemistry. When the SH hydrogen bond donor complexes to a hydrogen bond acceptor, a red shift of the SH stretching mode emerges. An anharmonic oscillator local mode model is applied to the ethanethiol-trimethylamine dimer, and we determine that any IR evidence of dimerization in our experiment is likely obscured by the …
Ab Initio Calculations Of Changes In Sulfur’S Orbital Energies And Sizes With Oxidation State As A Means Of Explaining Hypervalency, Anton V. Taraskin
Ab Initio Calculations Of Changes In Sulfur’S Orbital Energies And Sizes With Oxidation State As A Means Of Explaining Hypervalency, Anton V. Taraskin
Honors Projects
The energetics and orbital sizes of sulfur’s valence 3d and fluorine’s valence 2p orbitals were measured using a closed active space self-consistent field calculation to determine the degree of possible bonding available to sulfur’s 3d. It was determined that for orbital energies, the cc-pVXZ and aug sets converged hyperbolically onto a single energy value as X increased and that for both fluorine and sulfur orbital energies scaled down linearly with oxidation state. This resulted in a 0.47 hartree difference between the sulfur 3d and fluorine 2p orbitals at S0.6+ and F-0.1, far exceeding the energy gap between 3p and 2p …
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Homogeneous Cobalt Catalyst For The Hydrogenation Of Acetone To Isopropanol, Joselyn G. Molina
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Homogeneous Cobalt Catalyst For The Hydrogenation Of Acetone To Isopropanol, Joselyn G. Molina
Honors Projects
To lessen environmentalstrain and decrease dependency on noble metals for catalysis, first-row metals are continuously being explored as alternative catalysts for reactions of interest, particularly those that close the carbon cycle or promote fuel production. Recently, homogeneous cobalt catalysts have been shown to be viable options for effective hydrogenation of C-O double bonds, with cobalt-triphos being of particular interest. Here, we report the characterization of synthesized a cobalt-triphos complex by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and optical spectroscopy. Analysis of the electrochemistry of the cobalt-triphos complex suggests promising electrocatalytic capability for the hydrogenation of acetone to produce isopropanol.
Synthesis Of A Silsesquioxane Based Supramolecular Polymer, Rachel Bianculli
Synthesis Of A Silsesquioxane Based Supramolecular Polymer, Rachel Bianculli
Honors Projects
Research toward smart materials, specifically self-healing polymers, is an expanding topic within the materials science field. These materials rely heavily on dynamic crosslinking that is achieved by inducing different degrees of hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, etc. This work, demonstrated by research previously done within the Ostrowski research group, shows how coordination bonds of transition metals have been shown to create light activated, self-healing properties. Work done with these light-activated chromium (III) complexes with a poly(butylyene-co-ethylene) backbone have shown how metal—ligand coordination geometries can tune mechanical properties of the polymeric material. However, these materials suffer from being incredibly soft …
Evaluation Of Cafo Dairy Manure Treatment To Reduce Nutrient Transport, Jenna Laib
Evaluation Of Cafo Dairy Manure Treatment To Reduce Nutrient Transport, Jenna Laib
Honors Projects
Excess amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen flowing into Lake Erie from agricultural fields in Northwest Ohio has led to several harmful algal blooms (HABs). One potential source of those nutrients is manure applied to fields for fertilizer. Manure from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) is 95-98% water with only ~3% solids and nutrients, thus physical transportation is expensive relative to the value of the agricultural nutrients. Furthermore, once manure nutrients are applied to agricultural fields, they are relatively easily mobilized to waterways by precipitation. More than 800 lab-scale tests have been used to optimize the treatment of CAFO manure with …
Metacognition And The Utility Of Pathway Maps In Introductory Chemistry, Kayla Schwartz
Metacognition And The Utility Of Pathway Maps In Introductory Chemistry, Kayla Schwartz
Honors Projects
Students historically struggle in introductory chemistry courses. This experiment was designed to test a hypothesized method to increase student success which utilized metacognition, reflection, and the creation of pathway maps. An introductory chemistry course at BGSU was given two sets of pre-assignments, pathway map assignments, and post-assignments which was related to the topics they were learning in class. The pre-assignments and post-assignments were used to determine if there was a change in understanding before and after the pathway map assignment was completed and the pathway map assignment was based on a question that was given in the pre-assignment. The students …
Silver Nanoparticles As A Potential Solar Absorber, Benjamin Hardy
Silver Nanoparticles As A Potential Solar Absorber, Benjamin Hardy
Honors Projects
This work reports the development of Silver nanoparticles implanted into a polymer as a solar absorber. The plasmonic nature of silver nanoparticle allows for adjustments to be made in its UV-VIS-NIR absorbance spectrum. A combination of different sized/shaped particles could result in ideal absorption of the majority of the solar spectrum. Allotting this with the stability of a polymer leads to potential solids or solutions that could work as a solar absorber. Tests were also performed to determine whether or not UV-C irradiation during synthesis effects the characteristics of silver nanoparticles, in particular the absorbance. Successful synthesis of silver nanoparticle …
Biological Information And Its Origins: The Curious Case Of Rna, Grace E. Andrews
Biological Information And Its Origins: The Curious Case Of Rna, Grace E. Andrews
Honors Projects
Information is an important pre-requisite for the onset of life, which means that any study of the origins of life must also address the origin of information. Biological information today is generally conceptualized in terms of the Central Dogma of Biology, with DNA as a digitized code within the cell. However, here I propose that biological information - particularly in prebiotic conditions, where information would have first arisen - is better understood in terms of the three-dimensional structure of a molecule. Evidence for information storage in RNA can be seen in a number of ways. One of these is that, …
Conversion Of Cafo Manure Into A Slow-Release Fertilizer, Richard Allan Williams Iii
Conversion Of Cafo Manure Into A Slow-Release Fertilizer, Richard Allan Williams Iii
Honors Projects
Alginate polymer is known to form gel through the process of Ionotropic gelation. By use of extrusion and diffusion setting manure was encapsulated into gel beads. These beads were then tested to determine their potential for further testing as a manure treatment process. From the limited data in this preliminary study, it appears as though there is potential for further testing of alginate beads as a treatment process for manure. The treatment is potentially valuable because of the ease of filtration of the alginate beads, the low cost of transportation of the dehydrated beads, and because the limited data suggests …
Benchmarking Ab Initio Computational Methods For The Quantitative Prediction Of Sunlight-Driven Pollutant Degradation In Aquatic Environments, Kasidet Trerayapiwat
Benchmarking Ab Initio Computational Methods For The Quantitative Prediction Of Sunlight-Driven Pollutant Degradation In Aquatic Environments, Kasidet Trerayapiwat
Honors Projects
Understanding the changes in molecular electronic structure following the absorption of light is a fundamental challenge for the goal of predicting photochemical rates and mechanisms. Proposed here is a systematic benchmarking method to evaluate accuracy of a model to quantitatively predict photo-degradation of small organic molecules in aquatic environments. An overview of underlying com- putational theories relevant to understanding sunlight-driven electronic processes in organic pollutants is presented. To evaluate the optimum size of solvent sphere, molecular Dynamics and Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (MD-TD-DFT) calculations of an aniline molecule in di↵erent numbers of water molecules using CAM-B3LYP functional yielded excited …
Biolabeling Through The Use Of Water-Soluble Colloidal Quantum Dots, Cody Stombaugh
Biolabeling Through The Use Of Water-Soluble Colloidal Quantum Dots, Cody Stombaugh
Honors Projects
Nanomaterials continues to be a growing field of study due to their wide range of potential applications. Quantum dots are artificially synthesized crystalline clusters of atoms able to confine electron motion as a result of their incredibly small size. Recently, medical applications of nanomaterials have expanded greatly. Quantum dots are ideal for biolabeling due to their rather narrow photoluminescence emission peaks. By synthesizing quantum dots of a specific diameter, it is possible to predetermine the peak photoluminescence wavelength of a sample. Through ligand exchange and immunoconjugation of the quantum dots with proteins, it is possible to use the quantum dots …