Chemistry Commons^™

Polyesters Based On Aspartic Acid And Poly(Ethylene Glycol): Functional Polymers For Hydrogel Preparation, Trent N. Gordon, Anna Kornmuller, Yashveer Soni, Lauren E. Flynn, Elizabeth R. Gillies

Chemistry Publications

Hydrogels are commonly used as scaffolds for the preparation of three-dimensional tissue constructs and for the encapsulation and delivery of cells in regenerative medicine. Polyesters are an attractive class of polymers for hydrogel preparation. However, most polyesters have hydrophobic backbones and lack pendent groups that can be chemically functionalized. We describe here the development of water-soluble polyesters based on aspartic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (600 or 1500 g/mol), having pendent reactive amines. The reactivity of these amines with methacrylic anhydride, maleic anhydride, and itaconic anhydride was explored for the introduction of crosslinkable groups. The resulting methacrylamide-functionalized polymers were successfully …

Pueraria Montana Peroxidase Activity, Kathryn Briley, Gregory Raner

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Anion Removal By Partially Positive Adsorbents, Breanna Dragseth, Matt Desmith, Emily Robinson, Abi Bartlett

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2021

Nitrates and phosphates exist naturally but are present in elevated concentrations in many areas primarily due to agriculture; these elevated concentrations are concerning for human and environmental health. The project considered the ability of four different materials used for adsorption (adsorbents) to adsorb nitrate and phosphate. All adsorbents had a silica base with an amine (NH2) group and were further functionalized with different ligands consisting of an aromatic ring functionalized with electron withdrawing groups, creating a partial positive environment to help attract the anions of interest. We also synthesized control materials to determine how effective our engineered materials are. The …

Synthesis Of Transfer Hydrogenation Catalysts Containing Unsymmetrical Bisphosphines, Nora Fritz

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2021

Asymmetric catalysis, where a metal catalyst is used to transform a substrate into a single enantiomer of product, has become a popular synthetic technique in both academic and industrial settings. An enantiomer is a single molecule with a unique three-dimensional shape with a mirror image not superimposable on the original. The chirality, or right or left-handedness, of compounds lead to applications important in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Commonly, a metal complex’s ability to create a product of a certain enantiomer relies on a chiral group being attached to the metal. However, having the chirality of a metal complex depend …

Co2 Capturing Materials, Isaac Sanchez

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2021

Greenhouse gas emissions are one of, if not the major cause of global warming. With CO₂ emissions rising annually, it is paramount to selectively capture and remove CO₂ from flue gas. One method of capturing CO₂ gas is via porous materials. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are porous materials which have been explored throughout this research. Two important features of COFs are the base unit linkage types (BULTs) and the functional groups attached to the organic linkers (OLs). The BULT used in this research was a covalent triazine framework (CTF) and the main functional group used in the …

Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed Alkyne-Azide Cycloaddition By Dynamic Kinetic Resolution, En Chih Liu, Joseph J. Topczewski

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The triazole heterocycle has been widely adopted as an isostere for the amide bond. Many native amides are α-chiral, being derived from amino acids. This makes α-N-chiral triazoles attractive building blocks. This report describes the first enantioselective triazole synthesis that proceeds via nickel-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (NiAAC). This dynamic kinetic resolution is enabled by a spontaneous [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of the allylic azide. The 1,4,5-trisubstituted triazole products, derived from internal alkynes, are complementary to those commonly obtained by the related CuAAC reaction. Initial mechanistic experiments indicate that the NiAAC reaction proceeds through a monometallic Ni complex, which is distinct from the CuAAC …

Engineering Donor-Acceptor Conjugated Polymers For High-Performance And Fast-Response Organic Electrochemical Transistors, Hanyu Jia, Zhen Huang, Peiyun Li, Song Zhang, Yunfei Wang, Jie Yu Wang, Xiaodan Gu, Ting Lei

Faculty Publications

To date, high-performance organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have mostly been based on polythiophene systems. Donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers are expected to be promising materials for OECTs owing to their high mobility and comparatively low crystallinity (good for ion diffusion). However, the OECT performance of D–A polymers lags far behind that of the polythiophenes. Here we synergistically engineered the backbone and side chain of a series of diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based D–A polymers and found that redox potential, molecular weight, solution processability, and film microstructures all have a severe impact on their performance. After systematic engineering, P(bgDPP-MeOT2) exhibited the best figure-of-merit (μC …

Can CP Be Less Than CV?, Yingbin Ge, Samuel L. Montgomery, Gabriel L. Borrello

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Can C_P be less than C_V? This is a fundamental question in physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering. This question hangs in the minds of many students, instructors, and researchers. The first instinct is to answer “Yes, for water between 0 and 4 °C” if one knows that water expands as temperature decreases in this temperature range. The same question is asked in several Physical Chemistry and Physics textbooks. Students are supposed to answer that water contracts when heated at below 4 °C in an isobaric process. Because work is done to the contracting water, less …

Preparation Of Perylene Bisimide Acceptors With Ethylcarboxyl And Pyrenylcyclohexyl Imide Groups, Michael Cashen Stark

Honors Theses

Multiple attempts were made to deprotect TBDMS-protected (tert-butyldimethylsilyl protected) serinol and swallowtailed PBI (Compound 2), synthesized by past researcher Tarrah Frederick, to generate Compound 1. The theoretical Compound 1 product is intended for use in molecular rectification of electricity because the perylene core acts as a good acceptor with high electron affinity, and it does not require an electron donor group. Many rectification molecules are amphiphilic Donor-σ-Acceptor compounds, which allow for electron transfer through localized molecular orbitals when placed between electrodes (Langmuir-Blodgett Method). However, PBIs can transfer electrons from one electrode, through the LUMO of perylene, and to the other …

Comparison Of Methods For Measuring Cation Exchange Capacity In Clays, Sarah Glaesemann

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Study Of Potential Drug For Alzheimer’S Disease: Small Organic Molecules, 1,5-Dhn And Tmpyp Inhibit Amyloid-Β Peptide Aggregation And Quench Hydroxyl Radicals, Matthew Murphy

Undergraduate Research Conference

Alzheimer disease (AD) is recognized as the six leading cause of the death in the United States. As of now, there is no cure for this fatal disease. The current treatment methods can only temporarily slow the worsening of symptoms. Research data suggested that an excess generation of hydroxyl radical in the brain causing the aggregation of Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide which is considered to be responsible for Alzheimer's disease. Thus, there is a pressing need to find a suitable drug which can quench hydroxyl radicals effectively and stop or slow down the formation of aggregation of Aβ peptide. The primary …

A Novel Molecular And Cellular Study On Curcumin, Khang Nguyen

Undergraduate Research Conference

Since the discovery of G-quartet (G4)by M. Gellertin 1962, much attention has been given on G4and C4(also called i-motif) as important drug design targets for the treatment of various human disorders. G4 forming sequences are prevalent in human genome, which includes many important regions of the eukaryotic genome, such as telomere ends, regulatory regions of many oncogenes c-kit, proto-oncogene c-myc, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRas). Curcumin(diferuloylmethane), an antiinflammatory and antioxidant compound, is found in the rhizomes of the plant Curcuma longa. The phytopolyphenolic chemical curcumin has been in the prominence due to its diverse pharmacological activities. Here, we …

Biotransformation Of Hbe And Other Benzofuran Derivatives, Hannah Trauger

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of Phosphindolizine, Tyler Bell

Campus Research Month

Synthesis of Phosphindolizine which hasn't been done before.

Deletion Of Ph Response Genes In Cryptococcus Neoformans, Hannah Finson, Michael S. Price

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Greening Of Ferrocene Column Chromatography, Marissa Scilley, Anderson Hill, Michael R. Korn

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Chemical Leeching Of Wood Sealents, Chloe Rippey, Luke Autrey, Ellisa Gene Catahan, Stephen Hobson

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Incorporating The Origin Of Life Theme In Organic Chemistry Laboratories: Analyses Of Amino Acids, Emmalyn Sarver, Michael R. Korn

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Design And Analysis Of A Novel Fluorescent Cell Stain, Simeon Standridge, Richard Sirard, Michael R. Korn

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Synthesis Of Some Rhenium-Pyridazyl Complexes For Future Use In Semiconductive Materials, Zachariah Hutcheon, Jonathan Nelson, Philip Temple, Mark Villers, Chad Snyder

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Basic

Nitro Group Reduction For Use In Organic, Cathodic Materials, Brock G. Goeden

Honors Thesis

The industrial demand for higher capacity, light-weight battery materials has skyrocketed in recent years due to heavy investments in portable electronics, electronic vehicles, and renewable energy sources. However, rechargeable battery technology has seen little improvement since the invention of the Lithium-Ion battery in the 1980s. The low energy density of the traditionally utilized LiCoO2 cathodic material (specific capacity: 272 mAh g-1), has limited its potential to meet these increasing demands. To solve this problem, our research group is investigating new types of lightweight, organic, polymeric materials with conductive backbones as a possible replacement for the cathodic materials in Lithium-Ion batteries. …

Metal Foils With Ordered Crystal Structure And Method For Producing Metal Foils, Jay A. Switzer

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method for producing a metal foil comprising depositing metal onto an oxidizable substrate to form a metal film on the substrate; oxidizing the substrate at an interface between the metal film and the substrate; and removing the metal film from the substrate to yield a metal foil. A method for forming a thin metal film comprising pre-polarizing a single-crystal Si substrate by application of a potential which is negative of a potential at which Si oxidizes, which pre-polarization occurs in the presence of metal ions to form metal growth nucleation sites on the substrate, followed by application of a …

A Spectroscopic And Computational Study Of Diacetyl And Water Clusters, Margaret Baldwin

Honors Theses

Diacetyl, otherwise known as 1,2-butadione or biacetyl, is a flavor additive used in microwave popcorn, and more importantly as of late, e-cigarettes. The compound is known to cause lung disease for those who have been exposed to a large quantity of the buttery smelling molecule. As such, the characterization of diacetyl’s vibrational modes when it interacts with water are pivotal to understanding the effects it has on human lung tissue. In this research, the intermolecular interactions between water and diacetyl and the effects they have on one another’s vibrational modes are explored. While some experimental data is presented, the spectra …

Human Ace2‑Functionalized Gold “Virus‑Trap” Nanostructures For Accurate Capture Of Sars‑Cov‑2 And Single‑Virus Sers Detection, Yong Yang, Yusi Peng, Chenglong Lin, Li Long, Jingying Hu, Jun He, Hui Zeng, Zhengren Huang, Zhi-Yuan Li, Masaki Tanemura, Jianlin Shi, John R. Lombardi, Xiaoying Luo

Publications and Research

The current COVID-19 pandemic urges the extremely sensitive and prompt detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Here, we present a Human Angiotensin-converting-enzyme 2 (ACE2)-functionalized gold “virus traps” nanostructure as an extremely sensitive SERS biosensor, to selectively capture and rapidly detect S-protein expressed coronavirus, such as the current SARS-CoV-2 in the contaminated water, down to the single-virus level. Such a SERS sensor features extraordinary 106- fold virus enrichment originating from high-affinity of ACE2 with S protein as well as “virus-traps” composed of oblique gold nanoneedles, and 109- fold enhancement of Raman signals originating from multicomponent SERS effects. Furthermore, the identification standard of virus …

Developing An Experiment For General Chemistry Ii, Tyler Fisher

Campus Research Month

I am presenting on my research in figuring out how the electrochem station works for the chemistry department. My goal is to standardize the machine and then design and create an experiment for General Chemistry II Lab.

Synthesis Of Dibenzophosphole Derivatives, Allan Roy Sison

Campus Research Month

This presentation will demonstrate how dibenzophosphole derivatives are synthesized. There will also be studies on the properties of this complex compound. Our experiment is based on previous studies on dibenzophospholes. We will be using the methods from the previous studies and we will synthesize the derivatives of the dibenzophosphole compound using other compounds such as dibromophenol.

"What Lights Up Your "Tech"? - Subtitle: Synthesis Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pah) Using To 2,2-Dibromo-1,1-Binapthalene, Jefferd Daniel

Campus Research Month

The application of this molecule can be used eventually to add several elements like (Bromine, Chlorine, etc.) Previous done research that was conducted was in shortening the process to synthesize PAH. Since then, there has been research conducted to stabilize the compound by closing/linking two of the un-linked benzene rings.

Synthesize phosphyl-paralene, functionalize, and analyze the properties of those molecules and attach its derivatives

Synthesis Of Dibenzophospholes From Biphenyl, Claudia Velasquez

Campus Research Month

The aim is a direct synthesis of various diphenzylphospholes using biphenyl, phosphonic acid, and Tf2O. Successful addition of the phosphonic acid in a one step reaction would result in a more efficient production of the diphenylphospholes.

Dibenzophosphole Synthesis From 4-4’-Ditertbutyl-1,1’-Biphenyl By Double C-P Bond Formation, Annette Echevarria

Campus Research Month

No abstract provided.

Products Of An Acid-Catalyzed 1-Methylcyclopentene Reaction, Erin Burke

Campus Research Month

The poster presents research on the alternate products produced from 1-methylcyclopentene across different concentrations of sulfuric acid catalyst.