Other Chemistry Commons^™

Electrochemical Characterization Of Protein Adsorption Onto Yngrt-Au And Vlgxe-Au Surfaces, Hanna Trzeciakiewicz, Jose Esteves-Villanueva, Rania Soudy, Kamaljit Kaur, Sanela Martic-Milne

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The adsorption of the proteins CD13, mucin and bovine serum albumin on VLGXE-Au and YNGRT-Au interfaces was monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the presence of [Fe(CN)6]3−/4−. The hydrophobicity of the Au surface was tailored using specific peptides, blocking agents and diluents. The combination of blocking agents (ethanolamine or n-butylamine) and diluents (hexanethiol or 2-mercaptoethanol) was used to prepare various peptide-modified Au surfaces. Protein adsorption onto the peptide-Au surfaces modified with the combination of n-butylamine and hexanethiol produced a dramatic decrease in the charge transfer resistance, Rct, for all three proteins. In contrast, polar peptide-surfaces induced a minimal change in …

Effect Of Surface Omniphobicity On Drying By Forced Convection, Madani A. Khan, Jeffrey Alston, Andrew Guenthner

STAR Program Research Presentations

Low energy surfaces can strongly repel both oil and water. Recently these surfaces have been fabricated on various substrates including fabric, aluminum, stainless steel and many other materials. In this experiment we explore the use of low energy surface deposition on aluminum alloy, stainless steel and silicon substrates, to enhance the drying rate of liquids removed from the surface by forced convection. We control surface roughness by substrate abrasion and by the growth of Al₂O₃ nanograss to enhance liquid repellence by use of a hierarchical texture. Liquid repellence of the substrates is measured by contact angles of …

Forensic Significance Of Teal Colored Cashmere And Black Acrylic Fibers, Nicole M. Martin

Forensic Science Theses

Textile fibers are a valuable type of trace evidence within forensic cases. They have the ability to connect a perpetrator to a victim and or a crime scene. Some types of fibers are more prevalent than others. The purpose of this research was to conduct a target fiber study in order to determine the significance of the selected fibers in a forensic case. Two fibers were selected from two different garments, black acrylic fiber and a teal colored cashmere fiber. Unknown fibers were collected from three local clothing stores and counted. Using light microscopy, all 20,164 fibers were eliminated as …

Synthesis And Flammability Testing Of Epoxy Functionalized Phosphorous-Based Flame Retardants, Vladimir Benin, Xuemei Cui, Alexander Morgan, Karl Seiwert

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Several potential new phosphorus-containing flame retardant molecules were evaluated for heat release reduction potential by incorporation of the molecules into a polyurethane, generated from methylene diphenyl diisocyanate and 1,3-propane diol. The heat release reduction potential of these substances was evaluated using the pyrolysis combustion flow calorimeter (PCFC). The polyurethanes were prepared in the presence of the potential flame retardants via solvent mixing and copolymerization methods to qualitatively evaluate their potential reactivity into the polyurethane prior to heat release testing. The functionality of the flame retardants was epoxide based that would potentially react with the diol during polyurethane synthesis. Flammability testing …

Thz-Pulse-Induced Selective Catalytic Co Oxidation On Ru, Jerry L. Larue, Tetsuo Katayama, Aaron Lindenberg, Alan S. Fisher, Henrik Öström, Anders Nilsson, Hirohito Ogasawara

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We demonstrate the use of intense, quasi-half-cycle THz pulses, with an associated electric field component comparable to intramolecular electric fields, to direct the reaction coordinate of a chemical reaction by stimulating the nuclear motions of the reactants. Using a strong electric field from a THz pulse generated via coherent transition radiation from an ultrashort electron bunch, we present evidence that CO oxidation on Ru(0001) is selectively induced, while not promoting the thermally induced CO desorption process. The reaction is initiated by the motion of the O atoms on the surface driven by the electric field component of the THz pulse, …

Antioxidant Mechanisms Of Glutathione Against Metal-Mediated Oxidative Dna Damage, Elias Eteshola

Graduate Theses - Chemistry and Biochemistry

Oxidative damage of DNA strands has been strongly linked with the development of diseases such as certain cancers, cystic fibrosis and Parkinson’s, as well as aging. In intercellular reactions involving hydrogen peroxide endogenous metals have been shown to increase the generation of site-specific base modifications through their formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The damage markers measured via HPLC are the 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and the dA-N1 oxide markers. The current study deals with the reduced form of the sulfur antioxidant glutathione (GSH) and elucidating its ameliorating effects against ROS formation. Comparative studies with the known radical-scavenging sulfur antioxidant dimethyl sulfoxide …

The Best Of Both Worlds: Building On The Copus And Rtop Observation Protocols To Easily And Reliably Measure Various Levels Of Reformed Instructional Practice, Travis J. Lund, Matthew Pilarz, Jonathan B. Velasco, Devasmita Chakraverty, Kaitlyn Rosploch, Molly Undersander, Marilyne Stains

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Researchers, university administrators, and faculty members are increasingly interested in measuring and describing instructional practices provided in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses at the college level. Specifically, there is keen interest in comparing instructional practices between courses, monitoring changes over time, and mapping observed practices to research-based teaching. While increasingly common observation protocols (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol [RTOP] and Classroom Observation Protocol in Undergraduate STEM [COPUS]) at the postsecondary level help achieve some of these goals, they also suffer from weaknesses that limit their applicability. In this study, we leverage the strengths of these protocols to provide an …

Diol-Mediated Versus Water-Mediated Proton Transfer Reactions, Angela Moses

DePaul Discoveries

The triple-proton-transfer reactions of 8H-1,8-naphthyridin-2-one (8H-naph) have been investigated by employing different ab initio quantum mechanical methods. The proton transfer reactions studied were facilitated through an adjacent 1,3-propanediol molecule or two adjacent water molecules. Identical proton transfer reactions were studied using a model system of 8H-naph to investigate the validity of computational approaches that use model systems to study more complex systems. The solvent effects on the structures were investigated for comparison to the initial gas phase calculations. The potential energy, reaction force, and work profiles were studied along the intrinsic reaction coordinate to monitor the developing proton transfer reactions.

Examination Of The Structure, Force Resistance, And Elasticity Of Muscle Proteins, Tracy A. Caldwell

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Obscurin and titin are made up of independently folded domains that can be studied individually. Both are comprised of mostly Ig (immunoglobulin) or FnIII (Fibronectin type III)- like domains, which are made of two beta sheets held together by a hydrophobic core. High resolution structures of a limited number of both titin and obscurin domains have been determined using both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography. These structures have been complemented by low resolution methods such as small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Here, other high and low resolution structures not previously published will be presented …

A Multilaboratory Comparison Of Calibration Accuracy And The Performance Of External References In Analytical Ultracentrifugation, Huaying Zhao, Rodolfo Ghirlando, Carlos Alfonso, Fumio Arisaka, Ilan Attali, David L. Bain, Et Al. ..., Donald F. Becker, Peter Schuck

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) is a first principles based method to determine absolute sedimentation coefficients and buoyant molar masses of macromolecules and their complexes, reporting on their size and shape in free solution. The purpose of this multi-laboratory study was to establish the precision and accuracy of basic data dimensions in AUC and validate previously proposed calibration techniques. Three kits of AUC cell assemblies containing radial and temperature calibration tools and a bovine serum albumin (BSA) reference sample were shared among 67 laboratories, generating 129 comprehensive data sets. These allowed for an assessment of many parameters of instrument performance, including accuracy …

Green Chemistry As A Tool For Understanding The Toxic Substances Control Act: A Lecture Module For Undergraduate Students, Molly R. Blessing

Honors Scholar Theses

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the central form of chemical regulation existent in the United States today, yet scientists are often unaware or uncertain of its provisions. Violations of TSCA by unknowing chemists set industry and government unnecessarily at odds. A lecture on TSCA was developed for undergraduate students that uses the concept of green chemistry to promote interest and incentivize learning. Green chemistry methods are cleaner and less wasteful than traditional chemical ones, and many companies using them are at the forefront of technological innovation. The lecture explains both green chemistry and TSCA, includes company case studies, …

Investigations Into The Molecular Mechanisms Of Bacterial Pathogen–Host Interactions: Construction Of A Dual Plasmid System For Incorporation Of Unnatural Amino Acids Into Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato Dc3000, Scotty D. Raber

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A dual plasmid system for the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into plant pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, has been designed. This invention is expected to allow (a) mutations of proteins synthesized by the bacterium, P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000, that can capture molecular targets, especially for such modified proteins secreted by the phytopathogen into the host plant cells of A. thaliana and S. lycopersicum, (b) expression of biological probes in the bacterial species to monitor changes in redox, nutritional, and other small molecule states over pre-, post- and in situ disease stages, and secretion of such biological …

Investigation Of The Chemical Protection Capacity Of Common Shoe Materials In Undergraduate Laboratories, Sarah E. Lawson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical resistance of common shoe materials regularly worn in undergraduate chemistry laboratories by subjecting the materials to hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. The materials tested were leather, canvas cotton, and polyester. Due to the lack of restriction on undergraduate laboratory footwear, the research discussed in this thesis is important to undergraduate universities. Currently, many universities across the nation only require undergraduate students to wear close-toed, close-heeled shoes in chemistry laboratories, and often the resistance of the shoe material to acids and bases may not be taken into careful consideration. Overall, the …

A Maltose-Binding Protein Fusion Construct Yields A Robust Crystallography Platform For Mcl1, Matthew C. Clifton, David M. Dranow, Alison Leed, Ben Fulroth, James W. Fairman, Jan Abendroth, Kateri A. Atkins, Ellen Wallace, Dazhong Fan, Guoping Xu, Z. J. Ni, Douglas S. Daniels, John Van Drie, Guo Wei, Alex B. Burgin, Todd R. Golub, Brian K. Hubbard, Michael H. Serrano-Wu

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Crystallization of a maltose-binding protein MCL1 fusion has yielded a robust crystallography platform that generated the first apo MCL1 crystal structure, as well as five ligand-bound structures. The ability to obtain fragment-bound structures advances structure-based drug design efforts that, despite considerable effort, had previously been intractable by crystallography. In the ligand-independent crystal form we identify inhibitor binding modes not observed in earlier crystallographic systems. This MBP-MCL1 construct dramatically improves the structural understanding of well-validated MCL1 ligands, and will likely catalyze the structure-based optimization of high affinity MCL1 inhibitors.

Strong Influence Of Coadsorbate Interaction On Co Desorption Dynamics On Ru(0001) Probed By Ultrafast X-Ray Spectroscopy And Ab Initio Simulations, H. Xin, Jerry L. Larue, H. Öberg, M. Beye, M. Dell'angela, J. J. Turner, J. Gladh, M. L. Ng, J. A. Sellberg, S. Kaya, G. Mercurio, F. Hieke, D. Nordlund, W. F. Schlotter, G. L. Dakovski, M. P. Minitti, A. Föhlisch, M. Wolf, W. Wurth, H. Ogasawara, J. K. Nørskov, H. Öström, L. G. M. Pettersson, A. Nilsson, F. Abild-Pedersen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We show that coadsorbed oxygen atoms have a dramatic influence on the CO desorption dynamics from Ru(0001). In contrast to the precursor-mediated desorption mechanism on Ru(0001), the presence of surface oxygen modifies the electronic structure of Ru atoms such that CO desorption occurs predominantly via the direct pathway. This phenomenon is directly observed in an ultrafast pump-probe experiment using a soft x-ray free-electron laser to monitor the dynamic evolution of the valence electronic structure of the surface species. This is supported with the potential of mean force along the CO desorption path obtained from density-functional theory calculations. Charge density distribution …

Bio-Crosslinking Of Starch Films With Oxidized Sucrose, Hazal Canisag

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this work, corn starch films were crosslinked with a novel bio-based agent; oxidized sucrose and their strength and stability were improved. Although starch is an inexpensive, biodegradable and abundant source, industrial applications of starch films are limited due to their poor mechanical properties. Crosslinking is one of the most common methods to enhance the mechanical properties of starch films. However, most of the available crosslinkers, such as gluteraldehyde, phosphorus oxychloride, sodium trimetaphosphate, and epichlorohydrin, are either toxic, expensive or with low crosslinking efficiencies. Oxidized sucrose, which is derived by periodate cleavage, has aldehyde groups in the structure and this …

Optical Laser-Induced Co Desorption From Ru(0001) Monitored With A Free-Electron X-Ray Laser: Dft Prediction And X-Ray Confirmation Of A Precursor State, H. Öberg, J. Gladh, M. Dell'angela, T. Anniyev, M. Beye, R. Coffee, A. Föhlisch, T. Katayama, S. Kaya, Jerry L. Larue, A. Møgelhøj, D. Nordlund, H. Ogasawara, W. F. Schlotter, J. A. Sellberg, F. Sorgenfrei, J. J. Turner, M. Wolf, W. Wurth, H. Öström, A. Nilsson, J. K. Nørskov, L. G. M. Pettersson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We present density functional theory modeling of time-resolved optical pump/X-ray spectroscopic probe data of CO desorption from Ru(0001). The BEEF van der Waals functional predicts a weakly bound state as a precursor to desorption. The optical pump leads to a near-instantaneous (< 100 fs) increase of the electronic temperature to nearly 7000 K. The temperature evolution and energy transfer between electrons, substrate phonons and adsorbate is described by the two-temperature model and found to equilibrate on a timescale of a few picoseconds to an elevated local temperature of ~ 2000 K. Estimating the free energy based on the computed potential of mean force along the desorption path, we find an entropic barrier to desorption (and by time-reversal also to adsorption). This entropic barrier separates the chemisorbed and precursor states, and becomes significant at the elevated temperature of the experiment (~ 1.4 eV at 2000 K). Experimental pump-probe X-ray absorption/X-ray emission spectroscopy indicates population of a precursor state to desorption upon laser-excitation of the system (Dell'Angela et al., 2013). Computing spectra along the desorption path confirms the picture of a weakly bound transient state arising from ultrafast heating of the metal substrate.

Delay Line As A Chemical Reaction Network, Josh Moles, Peter Banda, Christof Teuscher

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chemistry as an unconventional computing medium presently lacks a systematic approach to gather, store, and sort data over time. To build more complicated systems in chemistries, the ability to look at data in the past would be a valuable tool to perform complex calculations. In this paper we present the first implementation of a chemical delay line providing information storage in a chemistry that can reliably capture information over an extended period of time. The delay line is capable of parallel operations in a single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) fashion.

Using Michaelis-Menten kinetics, we describe the chemical delay line implementation …

"Probing The Transition State Region In Catalytic Co Oxidation On Ru" Data Files, H. Öström, H. Öberg, H. Xin, Jerry L. Larue, M. Beye, M. Dell'angela, J. Gladh, M. L. Ng, J. A. Sellberg, S. Kaya, G. Mercurio, D. Nordlund, W. F. Schlotter, A. Föhlisch, M. Wolf, W. Wurth, M. Persson, J. K. Nørskov, F. Abild-Pedersen, H. Ogasawara, L. G. M. Pettersson, A. Nilsson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Data Sets

Femtosecond x-ray laser pulses are used to probe the CO oxidation reaction on Ru initiated by an optical laser pulse. On a timescale of a few hundred femtoseconds, the optical laser pulse excites motions of CO and O on the surface allowing the reactants to collide and, with a transient close to a picosecond (ps), new electronic states appear in the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum. Density functional theory calculations indicate that these result from changes in the adsorption site and bond-formation between CO and O with a distribution of OC—O bond lengths close to the transition state (TS). After …

Probing The Transition State Region In Catalytic Co Oxidation On Ru, H. Öström, H. Öberg, H. Xin, Jerry L. Larue, M. Beye, M. Dell'angela, J. Gladh, M. L. Ng, J. A. Sellberg, S. Kaya, G. Mercurio, D. Nordlund, M. Hantschmann, F. Hieke, D. Kühn, W. F. Schlotter, G. L. Dakovski, J. J. Turner, M. P. Minitti, A. Mitra, S. P. Moeller, A. Föhlisch, M. Wolf, W. Wurth, M. Persson, J. K. Nørskov, F. Abild-Pedersen, H. Ogasawara, L. G. M. Pettersson, A. Nilsson

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Femtosecond x-ray laser pulses are used to probe the CO oxidation reaction on Ru initiated by an optical laser pulse. On a timescale of a few hundred femtoseconds, the optical laser pulse excites motions of CO and O on the surface allowing the reactants to collide and, with a transient close to a picosecond (ps), new electronic states appear in the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum. Density functional theory calculations indicate that these result from changes in the adsorption site and bond-formation between CO and O with a distribution of OC—O bond lengths close to the transition state (TS). After …