Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Zinc Chemical Biology: The Pursuit Of The Intracellular Targets Of Zinquin, Andrew Nowakowski

Theses and Dissertations

Fluorescent sensors have been a main microscopic tools used to understand Zn2+ physiology on a cellular level. The use of the fluorescent Zn2+ sensor Zinquin (ZQ) and its analogues have revealed that transient Zn2+ is a chief component in a variety of biochemical pathways. Yet, little work has been performed to validate the exact targets of Zinquin in a cellular environment. The goals of this investigation are to determine the types of Zinquin reactions that take place in the cell as well as the identities of its cellular targets.

It has been hypothesized that Zinquin reacts with free Zn2+ within …

An Optical-Fiber Based Sensor Array For The Simultaneous Analysis Of Zinc And Copper In Aqueous Environments, Steven Kopitzke

Theses and Dissertations

Copper and zinc are elements commonly used in industrial applications, with many of these processes using these elements in aqueous environments. Before the solutions can be discharged into civil or native waterways, waste treatment processes must be undertaken to ensure compliance with federal, state and local guidelines restricting the concentration of ions discharged in solution. While there are methods of analysis currently available to monitor these solutions, each method has disadvantages, be it that they are cost prohibitive, inaccurate, and/or time-consuming. In this work, a new optical fiber-based platform capable of providing fast and accurate results when performing solution analysis …