Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Fabrication, Characterization, And Application Of Carbon Nanoparticles For The Detection Of Heavy Metal Ions In Aqueous Media, Aaron Michael Simpson

MSU Graduate Theses

This research set out to develop a method for producing Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) from glycerol and use them to detect Cu2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ ions in aqueous solution. Three synthesis methods were developed using the following mixtures: (1) glycerol and silica, (2) glycerol, silica, and H3PO4, and (3) glycerol with H3PO4. The structure of the particles was characterized using a variety of spectroscopic techniques. Size distributions were obtained from scanning electron microscopy images. The particles were spherical with average diameters of 66, 58, and 89 nm respectively and believed to consist of a carbon core with carboxylic acid and alcohol …

Coinage Metal Silylphosphido Complexes Stabilized By N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligands, Bahareh Khalili Najafabadi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are strong σ-donating ligands and thus, promising candidates for decorating and stabilizing metal-phosphide nanoclusters. While much research has been focused on the coordination of NHC ligands to different coinage metal centers in order to synthesize mononuclear organometallic complexes, their application in nanocluster chemistry has been relatively unexplored. The work described in this thesis involves employment of NHC ligands for stabilizing coinage metal t-butylthiolate and silylphosphido complexes. These complexes are promising molecular precursors for formation of larger NHC-stabilized nanoclusters.

In particular, the ligation of NHCs to [CuS^tBu] and [AgS^tBu] was developed as an …

Application Of Lipid Styryl Dye For Staining Intracytoplasmic Membranes In Gram-Negative Bacteria, Theodore J. Hammer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Intracytoplasmic membranes are structures that form within cells which help facilitate a variety of different metabolic processes. This feature of intracellular membranes makes them particularly valuable for studying compartmentalization and cell dynamics in bacteria. In the past, transmission electron microscopy has been the primary method for imaging bacteria with intracytoplasmic membranes. Because transmission electron microscopy takes images of a cell in fixed slices, it’s impossible to follow a cell’s growth and development over time. Fluorescence microscopy is a particularly effective method of measurement that can combat these issues when evaluating live bacterial cells. Here, standard biochemical laboratory procedures were used …