Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Noncovalent Interactions Involving Microsolvated Networks Of Trimethylamine N-Oxide, Kristina Andrea Cuellar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis research focuses on the effects of the formation of hydrogen-bonded networks with the important osmolyte trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Vibrational spectroscopy, in this case Raman spectroscopy, is used to interpret the effects of noncovalent interactions by solvation with select hydrogen bond donors such as water, methanol, ethanol and ethylene glycol in the form of slight changes in vibrational frequencies. Spectral shifts in the experimental Raman spectra of interacting molecules are compared to the results of electronic structure calculations on explicit hydrogen bonded molecular clusters. The similarities in the Raman spectra of microsolvated TMAO using a variety of hydrogen bond …