Chemistry Commons^™

Technology Development For Detection Of Circulating Disease Biomarkers From Liquid Biopsies Using Multifunctional Nanomaterials, Mustafa Balcioglu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Despite the advance health care, devastating health conditions such as cancer and infectious diseases that affect populations worldwide are too often not diagnosed until morbid symptoms become apparent in the late phase. Obtaining an early and accurate diagnosis that reveal a hidden lethal threat before the disease becomes complicated may dramatically reduce the severity of its impact on the patient’s life and increase the probability of survival. For example, in the case of ovarian cancer, which is the fifth most common malignancy and the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in women in the US, the 5-year relative survival is …

A Consideration Of Ancient Residues And Their Analysis, Jennifer A. Cardinal

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Identification of specific use(s) of ancient pottery vessels through empirical verification is currently very limited for archaeological investigations. Although we can postulate a range of purposes or functions for certain vessels, empirical confirmation of actual use has been determined only for a minuscule portion of the available vessels. This thesis will provide a broad review of organic analyses as applied to foodstuff residues left on ancient artifacts as well as discuss several considerations for such analysis that are unique to their application to archaeological specimens.

Dna Functionalized Nanoparticles In Nanobiosensor And Sensor Array Development For Molecular Diagnostics And In Vitro Identification Of Biomolecules, Mustafa Salih Hizir

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Nucleic acid technology along with vast variety of nanomaterials has demonstrated a great potential in many applications from biosensing studies to molecular diagnostics, from biomedical and bioanalytical research to environmental analysis. Especially short single stranded (ss) DNA molecules, called oligonucleotides, are extraordinary biopolymers featuring diverse functionality on the nanoparticles thanks to their high degree of programmability, target-specific binding or cleavage, molecular recognition ability, structure-switching capability, and unique interactions at the bio-nano interfaces. Among those, there have been many biosensing applications utilizing ss DNAs and numerous nanomaterials through various detection techniques such as fluorometric, colorimetric or electrochemical methods. Although many groundbreaking …

Field Evaluation Of Portable Air Quality Monitors And Evaluation Of Short-Lived Plume Events Of Atmospheric Pollutants, Joseph Peter Marto

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Availability of low cost optical sensors has allowed for the supplementation of existing air quality infrastructure with portable, adaptive monitors. While these sensors generally cannot offer the same accuracy and precision as established analysis methods, they can still reliably detect changes in pollutant concentration. This study evaluates the performance of two portable air quality enclosures deployed at collocated research sites to determine their accuracy and usefulness in field deployments. One system deployed collocated sensors for measurement of particulate matter mass concentration (Thermo pDR 1500 and TSI DustTrak DRX for PM2.5) and the second system deployed sensors for measurement of black …

Synthesis And Base Pairing Studies Of 5-Cyanomethyl Uridine (Cnm⁵U) And 5-Cyano Uridine (Cn⁵U) In Rna Duplex, Hsu-Chun Tsai

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

RNA plays an essential role in many biological processes by acting as both genetic information carriers, catalyst and regulator. Natural RNAs usually contain nucleoside analogs from the four common ribonucleosides. There are over 150 chemical modification have been discovered in natural RNA molecules. 5-cyanomethyl uridine is a native modification that has been discovered in total tRNAs from Haloarcula marismortui. This modification in the anticodon wobble position affects the codon recognition, and leads the mutant tRNA to bind not only to AUA but also to AUU and AUG. We synthesized 5-cyanomethyl uridine (cnm5U) and its derivative 5-cyanouridine (cn5U), which has the …

The Detection Of Cocaine In Oral Fluid Using Ultraviolet Resonance Raman Spectroscopy, Yasmine Ahmed

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Drug abuse has become a worldwide epidemic and is correlated to various serious health problems as well as increased rates of crime; thus, detecting and quantifying cocaine in oral fluid is of significant importance for practical forensics. To date, mainly destructive methods or biochemical tests have been used, while spectroscopic methods were only applied to pretreated samples. In this study, the possibility of using Raman spectroscopy to detect cocaine in oral fluid without pretreatment of samples was investigated. It was found that normal Raman spectroscopy at an excitation wavelength of 407 nm produced no cocaine signal while use of Raman …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Mpims : Metallopolymers Of Intrinsic Microporosity, Kelly Walter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are class of polymers known for high surface areas arising from their contorted and rigid backbone structures. While high surface area compounds are applicable in many fields, simultaneous solubility and conductivity in PIMs is still lacking. In general, the monomeric units that form the backbone, necessary to yield inefficient polymer strand packing and contortion, also break conjugation in the along the polymer backbone and therefore limit conductivity. It has been previously noted that extended conjugation and the addition of metal atoms (along the backbone) increases conductivity. We therefore sought to use a strategy whereby the …

A Family Of Cyclooctatetraenyl Lanthanide(Iii) Chloridebridged Dimers : Synthesis, Characterization, And Magnetic Properties, Joshua Sky Greenough

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Historically, the 10π-aromatic ligand, cyclooctatetraene (COT), has played a pivotal role

The Development Of Bioaffinity-Based Concepts For On-Site Forensic Analyses : Blood, Sweat, And ... Fingerprints?, Crystal Huynh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

There have been many advances in forensic science over the recent years, but a majority of the tests currently preformed are still heavily reliant upon laboratory-based processes. This means that valuable pieces of information are left unexamined until a crime scene has been completely processed and evidence is moved to a crime lab. In some cases, the evidence may even be left in a queue due to backlogs from previous cases. The delay resulting from the time necessary for crime scene processing and transportation, as well as additional time spent waiting on lab equipment availability, hinders an investigator’s ability to …

Exploring Heterometallic Beta-Diketonates For The Low Temperature Synthesis Of Energy-Related Oxide And Fluoride Materials, Matthew Christopher Barry

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In order to circumvent the issues associated with traditional ceramic methods such as

Chemically And Biologically Responsive Nanoparticle Systems For Biomarker Detection And Combination Cancer Therapy, Neil M. Robertson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The uniqueness and expression of miRNAs as biomarkers in certain cancers has the potential to radically alter the detection, and therefore the treatment, of the disease. Not only are current detection methods time consuming, and not sensitive enough for biomedical applications, but these small RNAs have yet to be fully utilized in treatment. By utilizing different nanomaterials we aimed to create novel nanodevices for the early, sensitive and specific detection of these biomarkers in a minimally invasive way and develop dual drug releasing nanoparticles, which are entirely controllable, to aid in the treatment of resistant cancer phenotypes.

Carborane Functionalized Cysteine : Synthesis, Structural Characterization, And Biological Evaluation For Boron Neutron Capture Therapy, Tianyu He

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Carbon-containing boranes, also known as carboranes, have attracted immense interest since their discovery in the 1950’s. Characterization of carboranes revealed their highly symmetrical polyhedral structures, which make them chemically and thermally stable. Their unique chemical properties, hydrophobicity and aromaticity also make them ideal candidates for a variety of applications. Prominent among these are the applications in materials and medicinal chemistry. On the materials chemistry front, carboranes have been investigated as self-assembly building blocks, liquid crystals and gas storage and separation materials. In the medicinal chemistry field, carborane derivatives have been extensively investigated as potential drugs, with a lot of attention …

Genetically Engineered Polypeptides As Biomimetic Light Harvesting Optical Antenna, Jason P. Seeley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Natural resources useful for the generation of energy are limited. The development of efficient materials capable of utilizing the abundant free solar radiation is of considerable interest. Utilization of otherwise wasted energy sources, including solar radiation, is a progressive step in the quest for sustainable energy. Solar radiation incident upon the earth’s surface exceeds current energy requirements and motivates scientists to investigate and develop functional devices and nanomaterials including light harvesting complexes (LHC) capable of capturing solar radiation for energy conversion and storage.

Application Of Group I Metal Adduction To The Separation Of Steroids By Traveling Wave Ion Mobility Spectrometry, Alana L. Rister, Tiana L. Martin, Eric D. Dodds

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Steroids represent an interesting class of small biomolecules due to their use as biomarkers and their status as scheduled drugs. Although the analysis of steroids is complicated by the potential for many isomers, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has previously shown promise for the rapid separation of steroid isomers. This work is aimed at the further development of IMS separation for the analysis of steroids. Here, traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS) was applied to the study of group I metal adducted steroids and their corresponding multimers for five sets of isomers. Each set of isomers had a minimum of one …

Magnetic Assembly Of Soft Robots With Hard Components, Sen Wai Kwok, Stephen A. Morin, Bobak Mosadegh, Ju-Hee So, Robert F. Shepherd, George M. Whitesides

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Reconfigurable soft robotic actuators with hard components are described. Magnetic attraction is used to couple flexible molded bodies capable of actuation upon pressurization with other flexible molded bodies and/or with hard components (e.g., frames and connectors) to form a seal for fluidic communication and cooperative actuation. Pneumatic decoupling chambers built into the hard components to decouple the hard components from the magnetically-coupled soft molded bodies are described. The use of magnetic self- alignment coupling and pneumatic de-coupling allows for the remote assembly and disassembly of complex structures involving hard and soft components. The magnetic coupling allows for rapid, reversible reconfiguration …

Flexible Thin Robotic Actuators, Aaron D. Mazzeo, Stephen A. Morin, Robert F. Shepherd, George M. Whitesides, William B. Kalb

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter includes a laminated robotic actuator. The laminated robotic actuator includes a strain-limiting layer comprising a flexible, non extensible material in the form of a sheet or thin film, a flexible inflatable layer in the form of a thin film or sheet in facing relationship with the strain-limiting layer, wherein the inflatable layer is selectively adhered to the strain-limiting layer, and wherein a portion of an un-adhered region between the strain-limiting layer and the inflatable layer defines a pressurizable channel, and at least one fluid inlet in fluid communication with the pressurizable channel. The …

Polar Ozone Depletion: Mario J. Molina, Kirsten Oberg

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College features the contribution of Mario J. Molina to the field of atmospheric chemistry, especially in regards to the formation and decomposition aspects of the ozone layer.

Richard Smalley And The Materials Of Tomorrow: The Discovery And Science Of Fullerenes, Creighton A. Jackson

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College details the contributions of Richard Smalley to organic chemistry, specifically the discovery of fullerenes in 1984, which led to advancements in the field of nanoscience. Fullerene use in materials science, Single-walled and multi-walled nanotubes and use of fullerenes in biology are also outlined.

Water Oxidation: Replicating The Power Of Photosynthesis, Flora Denton

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College details the chemical process of oxygenic photosynthesis, summarizes efforts to study the photosystem II process as well as potential applications.

Robert Robinson's Contributions To Organic Chemistry, Ben Albrecht

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College, features biographical information about chemist Robert Robinson, known for his research on steroid and alkaloid synthesis, and as the first person to use "curly arrows" in chemical equations to show the movement of electrons in reaction mechanisms.

Metformin, Andrea Frizzell

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This poster for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College displays chemical information about the drug Metformin (Fortamet, Glucophage, Gumetza, Riomet), used for the treatment of diabetes, suppressing the production of glucose and aiding int he absorption of insulin, with unlabeled uses as treatment for antipsychotic induced weight gain and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Richard Smalley And The Materials Of Tomorrow: The Discovery, Properties, And Science Of Fullerenes, Creighton A. Jackson

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

These are slides accompanying a presentation given at the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College outlining the properties of and ongoing research pertaining to fullerenes in materials science.

How The Carbon To Nitrogen Ration Affects Soil Microorganisms, Logan M. Stenger, Morgan R. Hobgood

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This slide presentation for the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland College presents information on the importance of the correct ratio between nitrogen and carbon for microorganism health.

Performance And Emissions Of Spark Ignited Fuels, Kerry L. Lippold

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

This slide presentation from the Natural Sciences Poster Session at Parkland college defines how combustion engines work and summarizes a study conducted to identify efficient and emission reducing fuel.

Solid Electrolytes For Better Batteries: A Report On Current Research, Jonathan D. Young

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

No abstract provided.

Lignin Depolymerization: Mechanistic Analysis, Optimization And Application, Eric Michael Nagel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic biopolymer and is a potential source for phenolic chemical feedstocks. Lignin is composed of phenolic units connected by more than eight different linkages, the most common being β-O-4 which constitutes 50-60%. The hydrothermal decomposition of a guaiacol based β-O-4 lignin dimer was studied under neutral and basic conditions to elucidate the mechanism of β-O-4 bond cleavage and the formation of downstream products. Phenol-carbonyl condensation and vinyl-ether formation were shown to be the primary causes for low monomer yields under the tested conditions. Three Ni catalyst systems, Ni/C + H₂, Ni/C-Zn, and Ni/Zn, …

Silicon And Tin Substituted Halocyclopropanes: Approaches To New Carbenes And Strained Cyclic Allenes, Noura Srour

Honors Theses

Chloro(trimethylsilyl)carbene and chloro(trimethylstannyl)carbene were generated through photolysis of cyclopropanated phenanthrene precursors which were synthesized in two steps. The photolysis reactions were done in the presence of cis and/or trans-beta-methylstyrene. Though product peaks corresponding to the carbene-alkene adducts were observed in the GCMS, the yields were too low for their isolation and complete characterization. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on the stereoisomers of the precursor to Chloro(trimethylsilyl)carbene and the carbene itself. Surprisingly, Chloro(trimethylsilyl)carbene’s triplet state was found to be more stable than the singlet at this level of theory.

In a related project, (1-bromo-1a,9b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropa[l]phenanthren-1-yl)trimethylstannane, was …

Mechanistic Studies Of Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions Involving Antioxidants, Kejie Meng

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the research was to investigate proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions involving antioxidants to gain insight into the detailed mechanisms of glutathione (GSH), Trolox, and α-tocopherol (α-TOH). PCET reactions are complex redox reactions that transfer electrons and protons sequentially or in concert. These reactions are ubiquitous in natural or artificial processes that produce electrochemical energy that is extractable as electricity or as chemical fuels of high energy content. Examples of processes based on PCET are photosynthesis, respiration, nitrogen fixation, carbon dioxide reduction, redox fuel cells, and artificial photosynthesis. Antioxidants were selected as a PCET model to understand the …

Exploring Inhibition Of Chemiluminescence Mechanisms With Fluorescence Quenching Studies And Interaction Energy Calculations, Zhenbo Liu, Tangmi Yuan, Yongming Liu, Wenzuo Li, Qingzhong Li, Bo Xiao, Jianbo Cheng

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Carbamates weaken the luminol-H$_{2}$O$_{2}$ chemiluminescence (CL) catalyzed by sodium copper chlorophyll (SCC). The capacity to inhibit the CL of three carbamates is in the order of carbaryl (CBL) \textgreater carbofuran (CBF) \textgreater metolcarb (MTC). Mechanisms of carbamates inhibiting SCC-luminol-H$_{2}$O$_{2}$ CL are investigated using fluorescence quenching and quantum chemistry simulations for the first time in this work. Carbamate-SCC interactions studied using fluorescence spectroscopy show that with the increasing concentration of the SCC, the fluorescence of carbamate is quenched regularly, and the quenching mechanism is a static quenching process. Binding constants ($K_{B})$ of the three carbamates with SCC are CBL (4.39 x …

Design And Synthesis Of New Naphtho[2,1-$B$]Pyrano [2,3-$D$]Pyrimidinones Under Classical And Microwave Conditions, Maher Cherif, Mariem Debbabi, Sarra Chortani, Anis Romdhane, Hichem Ben Jannet

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A fast and efficient method for the synthesis of naphthopyranopyrimidinones derivatives in excellent yields was developed through cyclocondensation reaction between previously prepared pyrimidinic hydrazides and some electrophilic species such as 2,4-pentanedione, 2,5-hexanedione, cyclic anhydrides, and phenylthioisocyanate under microwave irradiation. Compared to the conventional methods applied, it was found that better yields and shorter reaction times were achieved using microwave-assisted synthesis. Structures of all synthesized compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic methods including $^{1}$H NMR, $^{13}$C NMR, and HRMS-ES.