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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Investigation Of The Analytical Utility Of The Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (Icp-Ms) For The Quantification Of Proteins Via Lanthanide Labeling, Caitlin Elizabeth Dunlap May 2022

Investigation Of The Analytical Utility Of The Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (Icp-Ms) For The Quantification Of Proteins Via Lanthanide Labeling, Caitlin Elizabeth Dunlap

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The discovery and ability to provide an absolute concentration of biomarkers in the body can facilitate early diagnoses of diseases. This information can also be used for more accurate and unique treatments for those patients. While major advances in molecular mass spectrometry allows for a sensitive identification of these biomarkers, they are limited to only four orders of magnitude in their dynamic ranges. Due to this, detection and quantitation of low abundant proteins, which tend to make up these vital biomarkers, is very difficult. On the other hand, ICP-MS offers a wider dynamic range (up to 12 orders of magnitude) …


Nucleic Acid Editing By Adenosine Deaminase Enzymes, Josey Rae Mckinley May 2022

Nucleic Acid Editing By Adenosine Deaminase Enzymes, Josey Rae Mckinley

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

RNA editing is crucial to the genetic diversity and structural complexity of organisms. ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA) is an RNA editing enzyme that creates a mutation of adenosine to inosine. The human ADAR2 (hADAR2) enzyme is known to edit RNA; however, it contains minor sequence homology with the cytidine deaminase enzymes, APOBEC and AID, which are known to edit both DNA and RNA (11 & 12). The ability of hADAR2 to edit DNA was tested through transformation into the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain BY4741. DNA editing was tested by determining if the transformed yeast became resistant to the …


Producing Dihydrofurans Using Palladium (Ii) Catalyst And Optimized Base, Chandler Mitchell Jan 2017

Producing Dihydrofurans Using Palladium (Ii) Catalyst And Optimized Base, Chandler Mitchell

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Dihydrofurans serve as building blocks for other compounds in organic synthesis. The main goal of this project was to discover an efficient and relatively inexpensive pathway for producing monosubstituted dihydrofurans in high yield from cyclic boronic half acids. Aldehydes were converted to homoallylic alcohols by the addition of allylmagnesium bromide. The alcohols were then transformed into cyclic boronic half acids using ringclosing metathesis with Grubbs 1st Generation Catalyst and alkenyl boronic esters. Finally, monosubstituted dihydrofurans were produced using a palladium (II) catalyst with a base. Palladium (II) catalysts that were tested include [1,1'- bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene]palladium (II) dichloride, palladium (II) acetate with …


Quantitative Analysis Of Acetic Acid In Hard Woods As A Way To Improve Museum Artifact Storage, Alexandria Flora Jan 2017

Quantitative Analysis Of Acetic Acid In Hard Woods As A Way To Improve Museum Artifact Storage, Alexandria Flora

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Many materials used for storage of museum artifacts have been found to cause damage to the items either through emitting harmful volatile gases or through direct contact. Harmful storage techniques can cause corrosion, discoloration, or deterioration of priceless artifacts. Museum enclosures made of hardwoods have been shown to emit acetic acid vapors that cause damage to the items being stored. In the present study, a review of the effects of acetic acid damage on museum artifacts was performed, and an evolved gas analysis and titration method were used to quantify acetic acid in various hardwoods.


Solvent Free Vanadium Mediated Organic Transformations, Garrett Oberst Jan 2016

Solvent Free Vanadium Mediated Organic Transformations, Garrett Oberst

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

A mixture of vanadium(V) oxide and copper sulfate was used to catalyze oxidative transformations in a variety of organic compounds. Multiple functionalities were tested, including thiols, amines and alcohols. Various transformations were observed resulting in various oxidized products, including coupling reactions. Reactions were performed in a solvent-free environment due to the insoluble nature of vanadium(V) oxide in common organic solvents. Results were analyzed using HNMR and GCMS.


Substrate Specificity Of The Lipn Hydrolase From Mycobacterium Ulcerans, Stephanie Raynor Jan 2016

Substrate Specificity Of The Lipn Hydrolase From Mycobacterium Ulcerans, Stephanie Raynor

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a tropical skin disease that affects thousands of individuals annually. Recent studies have revealed that lipolytic enzymes are involved in the pathogenicity processes of mycobacterium and could be potential targets for novel antibiotics. LipN is one proposed serine hydrolase in Mycobacterium ulcerans that contains the conserved α/β hydrolase protein fold and utilizes the conserved catalytic traid of serine, histidine, and aspartate/glutamate. The physiological substrate and biological role of LipN from M. ulcerans have not yet been determined. In this study, LipN was cloned into a pET28a plasmid and overexpressed in an …


Synthesis And Resolution Of A Substituted Dioxolane From Glycerol, Susannah Dawn Cox May 2014

Synthesis And Resolution Of A Substituted Dioxolane From Glycerol, Susannah Dawn Cox

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Glycerol (Figure 1) is one of the major byproducts in the manufacturing of biofuels. As the interest in biodiesel grows, production of glycerol will also increase. Investigating glycerol's potential as a chemical feedstock could lead to the discovery of new uses for this byproduct created from biofuel production. By developing pathways to use glycerol as a starting material and as a solvent we will be able to synthesize other chemically relevant compounds.


Amino Acid Methyl Ester Chiral Ionic Liquids: A Concentration Study, Christopher J. Brown May 2014

Amino Acid Methyl Ester Chiral Ionic Liquids: A Concentration Study, Christopher J. Brown

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This project will investigate novel amino acid methyl ester chiral ionic liquids and determine how increased concentration of lanthanide solute and changes in size of counter ions tetramethylammonium and tetrabutylammonium affects interaction between the ionic liquid and the fluorescent lanthanide solute. Both concentration dependence and temperature dependence were discovered. The chiral ionic liquid [L-prolineCl][TfiN] reacted uniquely to the change in concentration.


Thermal Denaturation Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Protein Rv0045c Monitored By Intrinsic Tryptophan Fluorescence, Lindsey Renee Drake Mar 2014

Thermal Denaturation Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Protein Rv0045c Monitored By Intrinsic Tryptophan Fluorescence, Lindsey Renee Drake

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The aim of my project was to use intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence to monitor the denaturation pathway of a protein, specifically the Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme Rv0045c. The larger scientific goal and inspiration for this honors thesis was to use the amino acid residues of a protein to map it's unfolding by thermal denaturation.


Chiral Recognition In Amino Acid And Peptide Based Chiral Ionic Liquids, Daniel Mccray Kroupa May 2012

Chiral Recognition In Amino Acid And Peptide Based Chiral Ionic Liquids, Daniel Mccray Kroupa

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In this study, amino acid and peptide based chiral ionic liquids (ILs) were prepared and their chiral recognition ability probed using circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopy. Potential applications of amino acid and peptide based chiral ILs include asymmetric synthesis and chiral resolution. The amino acid based chiral ILs under study were prepared from amino acid methyl ester cations and bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide ([TF2ND anions, specifically L-alanine methyl ester, D-alanine methyl ester, L-Ieucine methyl ester, and L-proline methyl ester. Cationic peptide ILs were prepared from L-alanyl glycine methyl ester cations and [TF2Nr anions and anionic peptide based ILs were prepared from tetrabutylammonium ([TBAt) …


Characterization Of Esterase Activity From The Bacteria, Francisella Tularensis, The Causative Agent Of Tularemia, Leigh Anna Weston May 2011

Characterization Of Esterase Activity From The Bacteria, Francisella Tularensis, The Causative Agent Of Tularemia, Leigh Anna Weston

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Francisella tularensis is the bacteria responsible for causing the disease tularemia and is listed as one of the top three-biowarfare agents. Among the proteins essential to the virulence and infectivity of F.tularensis are multiple esterases, which are enzymes that break down various ester, thioester, and amide bonds. In this project, the catalytic activity, substrate speci fi city, and structure of a putative esterase from F.tularensis was studied. Latent fluorophores based on the molecule, fluorescein, were unmasked by the enzymatic activity of the esterase and the increase in fluorescence was measured over time to determine how well the e tcrase recognized …


Development Of A Green Method For Amide Synthesis, Megan Ruth Darragh May 2011

Development Of A Green Method For Amide Synthesis, Megan Ruth Darragh

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The aim of this work was to determine the scope and limitations of using microwave technology, solvent-free conditions and green chemistry-applicable solid supports for amide synthesis. We hypothesize that the method developed by Comerford et al [12] may be applicable to other solid support systems already in use (silica, fly ash, and alumina), and that combined with the use of microwave technology, green and efficient synthesis of varied amides and other dehydration reaction products may be possible. These methods should show application to undergraduate, organic chemistry laboratories as well as large-scale production laboratories.


Chiral Recognition Study Of A Bimolecular Process In Amino Acid Chiral Ionic Liquids, Laurel Millikan Heckman May 2011

Chiral Recognition Study Of A Bimolecular Process In Amino Acid Chiral Ionic Liquids, Laurel Millikan Heckman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In this study, chiral ionic liquid (CIL) solvents were prepared and tested for their chiral discrimination ability by probing with luminescence quenching. The CIL's were also tested for their impurities, viscosity and density. These experiments will help to determine the ability of CIL's to act as solvents in asymmetric catalysis. The chiral ionic liquids in this study were composed of amino acid methyl ester cations and bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonimide or bistri flimide anions (i.e. I-alanine methyl ester bistriflimid e, d-alanine methyl ester bistr iflim ide and I-leuci ne methyl ester bistriflimde). Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) and its quenching in the chiral …


Solid Supported Synthesis Of Secondary Amines Via Staudinger And Microwave Aza-Wittig Reactions, Kyle Thomas Holsinger Jan 2010

Solid Supported Synthesis Of Secondary Amines Via Staudinger And Microwave Aza-Wittig Reactions, Kyle Thomas Holsinger

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Amine bond formation is a major topic in organic chemistry and is widely applied to the formation of medicinal compounds. Current studies have analyzed the benefits of microwave irradiation and solid supported reagents in order to improve reaction conditions and both synthetic and environmental costs. In the synthesis of amines, we investigate the combined use of microwave irradiation and solid supported reagents in the aza-Wittig and reductive amination reaction.


Solid Phase Amide Synthesis Using Staudinger-Vilarrasa Coupling And Microwave Irradiation, Ryan Patrick Schmidtz May 2009

Solid Phase Amide Synthesis Using Staudinger-Vilarrasa Coupling And Microwave Irradiation, Ryan Patrick Schmidtz

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Amide bond formation is an already well documented area of organic chemistry, and is very useful in its application in medicine and pharmaceuticals. However, current methods have not been investigated with regards to optimization of reaction times, solvents, and energy sources. In addition, current methods also utilize toxic solvents to cleave the peptide from the solid phase resin. In our study, we combine the Staudinger and Vilarrasa coupling reactions with microwave irradiation to develop and optimize the synthesis of amide bonds through the use of a solid support. Instead of attaching the peptide to the solid support, our amide bond …


Liquid Carbon Dioxide Extraction Of Various Food Flavors: Evaluation And Analysis, Deven Lee Shinholt Apr 2009

Liquid Carbon Dioxide Extraction Of Various Food Flavors: Evaluation And Analysis, Deven Lee Shinholt

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide has been utilized as an extraction solvent for a variety of natural compounds. This requires the use of specialized high-pressure vessels. It was reported recently that common laboratory apparatus (centrifuge tubes) could be utilized in liquid carbon dioxide extractions obviating the need for specialized equipment. Various herbs and spices (including orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit zest, oregano, rosemary, sage, spearmint, nutmeg, black peppercorns, cloves, caraway seeds, and vanilla beans) were used as substrates for liquid carbon dioxide extractions by this straightforward technique. The extracted oils, containing terpenes and terpenoids, were then analyzed through GC/MS. Liquid …


A Comparison Of The Surface Adsorption Characteristics Of Reduced And Oxidized Cytochrome C On A Fused Silica Surface Via Attenuated Total Internal Reflection Spectroscopy, Casey M. Kraning Apr 2008

A Comparison Of The Surface Adsorption Characteristics Of Reduced And Oxidized Cytochrome C On A Fused Silica Surface Via Attenuated Total Internal Reflection Spectroscopy, Casey M. Kraning

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.


Adsorption Studies Of Cytochrome C On A Silica Nanoparticle Surface, Carrie Ann Hedge Jan 2008

Adsorption Studies Of Cytochrome C On A Silica Nanoparticle Surface, Carrie Ann Hedge

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This honors thesis investigated the conformational changes in cytochrome c when it is adsorbed to silica nanoparticle surfaces before denaturant as well as when it is exposed to denaturant and then allowed to adsorb to silica nanoparticles.


Nontraditional Synthesis Of Organometallic Compounds And Allylic Alcohols, Andrew J. Hesse Mar 2007

Nontraditional Synthesis Of Organometallic Compounds And Allylic Alcohols, Andrew J. Hesse

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

One of the central dogmas of chemistry is the use of convection heating to increase rate and yields of reactions. However, other methods for the impartation of energy do exist. Microwave irradiation uses high power waves to directly excite molecule into higher energy states. This speeds up the kinetics of the reaction and thermodynamically favorable products are formed at a higher rate. This project successfully uses microwave irradiation to perform organometallic syntheses of iron based compounds such as ferrocene and iron diene tricarbonyls. Another alternative method involves using mechanical energy as a substitute for thermal energy. By rapidly colliding reactants …