Other Chemistry Commons^™

Online Learning In A Chemical Perceptron, Peter Banda, Christof Teuscher, Matthew R. Lakin

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autonomous learning implemented purely by means of a synthetic chemical system has not been previously realized. Learning promotes reusability and minimizes the system design to simple input-output specification. In this article we introduce a chemical perceptron, the first full-featured implementation of a perceptron in an artificial (simulated) chemistry. A perceptron is the simplest system capable of learning, inspired by the functioning of a biological neuron. Our artificial chemistry is deterministic and discrete-time, and follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics. We present two models, the weight-loop perceptron and the weight-race perceptron, which represent two possible strategies for a chemical implementation of linear integration and …

Revisiting The Fundamentals In The Design And Control Of Nanoparticulate Colloids In The Frame Of Soft Chemistry, Vuk Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

This review presents thoughts on some of the fundamental features of conceptual models applied in the design of fine particles in the frames of colloid and soft chemistry. A special emphasis is placed on the limitations of these models, an acknowledgment of which is vital in improving their intricacy and effectiveness in predicting the outcomes of the corresponding experimental settings. Thermodynamics of self-assembly phenomena illustrated on the examples of protein assembly and micellization is analyzed in relation to the previously elaborated thesis that each self-assembly in reality presents a co-assembly, since it implies a mutual reorganization of the assembling system …

Preparation Of Phosphonoterephthalic Acids Via Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling Of Aromatic Iodoesters, Nathaniel Ivan, Vladimir Benin, Alexander Morgan

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The current article reports in detail the preparation of two phosphonoterephthalic acids: 2-phosphonoterephthalic acid (1) and 2,5-diphosphonoterephthalic acid (2). Efficient, scalable syntheses have been developed for both compounds based on Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions of iodinated terephthalate esters. Phosphonoterephthalic acids are potentially useful as flame-retardant additives or as monomers for the construction of acid-pendant polymer chains.

High-Performance Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors Based On Mno2-Decorated Nanocarbon Electrodes, Yang Gao, Yun Shen Zhou, Min Qian, Hao Ming Li, Jody G. Redepenning, Li Sha Fan, Xiang Nan He, Wei Xiong, Masoud Majhouri-Samani, Lan Jiang, Yongfeng Lu

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Flexible energy storage units are highly desired to meet the ever-increasing demands for flexible electronics. In this paper, highly flexible solid-state supercapacitors are fabricated using MnO₂-decorated nanocarbon electrodes and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide–poly(vinylidene fluoride)- hexafluoropropylene ([EMIM][NTf2]–PVdF(HFP)) gel electrolytes. The flexible electrodes are prepared by electrodepositing MnO₂ onto the carbon nanotube/carbon nanoonion (CNT/CNO) films. CNT/CNO films have a large surface area for MnO₂ deposition and work as mechanical supports with high flexibility and light weight. CNOs act as spacers to separate CNTs, introducing mesopores inside the CNT/CNO films for preventing pore blocking during MnO₂ deposition. The supercapacitor exhibits …

Probing The Bifunctional Catalytic Activity Of Ceria Nanorods Towards The Cyanosilylation Reaction, Gonghua Wang, Lu Wang, Xiang Fei, Yunyun Zhou, Renat F. Sabirianov, Wai Ning Mei, Chin Li Cheung

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Ceria nanorods were demonstrated to be an active, bifunctional catalyst for the cyanosilylation of aldehydes. The catalytic activity of ceria was shown to be positively correlated with a decrease in the coordination numbers of neighbouring oxygen atoms around cerium atoms in the catalyst. Chemisorption and density functional theory studies suggested that the coordinatively unsaturated cerium sites exposed by the surface oxygen vacancy defects functioned as Lewis acid sites and the neighbouring oxygen atoms behaved as Lewis base sites in the catalytic cycle.

An Expanded Genetic Code In Mammalian Cells With A Functional Quadruplet Codon, Wei Niu, Peter G. Schultz, Jiantao Guo

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

We have utilized in vitro evolution to identify tRNA variants with significantly enhanced activity for the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in response to a quadruplet codon in both bacterial and mammalian cells. This approach will facilitate the creation of an optimized and standardized system for the genetic incorporation of unnatural amino acids using quadruplet codons, which will allow the biosynthesis of biopolymers that contain multiple unnatural building blocks.

Reaction Between Polyol-Esters And Phosphate Esters In The Presence Of Metal Carbides, David W. Johnson, Carolyn Iacullo, John E. Hils

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The reaction of metal carbides with polyol esters found in aerospace lubricants and phosphate esters commonly used as additives was investigated. Carbides were of particular interest since modern materials under consideration at high temperature bearings have surfaces that are primarily metal carbides. Vanadium and chromium carbide were found to react with the ester and phosphate ester by a transesterification reaction, producing an alkyl phosphate which is less stable than the aromatic phosphate esters. In the process, the metal carbide is converted to the metal phosphate and metal polyphosphate, evidenced by the infrared and Raman spectra of the solid residue and …

Theoretical Design Of Stable Small Aluminium-Magnesium Binary Clusters, Edison Osorio, Alejandro Vasquez, Elizabeth Florez, Fanor Mondragon, Kelling J. Donald, William Tiznado

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We explore in detail the potential energy surfaces of the Al_xMg_y (x, y = 1–4) systems as case studies to test the utility and limitations of simple rules based on electron counts and the phenomenological shell model (PSM) for bimetallic clusters. We find that it is feasible to design stable structures that are members of this set of small Al–Mg binary clusters, using simple electron count rules, including the classical 4n + 2 Hückel model, and the most recently proposed PSM. The thermodynamic stability of the title compounds has been evaluated using several different descriptors, including …

Broadband Fourier Transform Rotational Spectroscopy For Structure Determination: The Water Heptamer, Cristóbal Pérez, Simon Lobsiger, Nathan A. Seifert, Daniel P. Zaleski, Berhane Temelso, George C. Shields, Zbigniew Kisiel, Brooks H. Pate

Faculty Journal Articles

Over the recent years chirped-pulse, Fourier-transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectrometers have chan- ged the scope of rotational spectroscopy. The broad frequency and large dynamic range make possible structural determinations in molecular systems of increasingly larger size from measurements of heavy atom (¹³C, ¹⁵N, ¹⁸O) isotopes recorded in natural abundance in the same spectrum as that of the parent isotopic species. The design of a broadband spectrometer operating in the 2–8 GHz frequency range with further improvements in sensitivity is presented. The current CP-FTMW spectrometer performance is benchmarked in the analyses of the rotational spectrum of the water …

Preliminary Studies Of The N-Terminal Of Scytovirin, Thomas Swain

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Probing The Bifunctional Catalytic Activity Of Ceria Nanorods Towards The Cyanosilylation Reaction, Gonghua Wang, Lu Wang, Xiang Fei, Yunyun Zhou, Renat F. Sabirianov, Wai-Ning Mei, Chin Li Cheung

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Ceria nanorods were demonstrated to be an active, bifunctional catalyst for the cyanosilylation of aldehydes. The catalytic activity of ceria was shown to be positively correlated with a decrease in the coordination numbers of neighbouring oxygen atoms around cerium atoms in the catalyst. Chemisorption and density functional theory studies suggested that the coordinatively unsaturated cerium sites exposed by the surface oxygen vacancy defects functioned as Lewis acid sites and the neighbouring oxygen atoms behaved as Lewis base sites in the catalytic cycle.

Porous Polymer Coatings As Substrates For The Formation Of High-Fidelity Micropatterns By Quill-Like Pens, Michael Hirtz, Marcus Lyon, Wenqian Feng, Andrea E. Holmes, Harald Fuchs, Pavel A. Levkin

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

We explored the potentials of microarray printing using quill-like microcantilevers onto solid supports that are typically used in microspot printing, including paper, polymeric nitrocellulose and nylon membranes. We compared these membranes with a novel porous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) support (HEMA) with narrow pore size distribution in the 150 nm range, which demonstrated advantages in pattern definition, spot homogeneity, and consistent spot delivery of different dyes (phloxine B and bromophenol blue) with diameters of several micrometres. The bromophenol blue arrays on HEMA support were used to detect the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA). In the presence of BSA, …

Single Transcriptional And Translational Preq1 Riboswitches Adopt Similar Pre-Folded Ensembles That Follow Distinct Folding Pathways Into The Same Ligand-Bound Structure, Krishna C. Suddala, Arlie J. Rinaldi, Jun Feng, Anthony M. Mustoe, Catherine D. Eichhorn, Joseph A. Liberman, Joseph E. Wedekind, Hashim M. Al-Hashimi, Charles L. Brooks Iii, Nils G. Walter

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Riboswitches are structural elements in the 50 untranslated regions of many bacterial messenger RNAs that regulate gene expression in response to changing metabolite concentrations by inhibition of either transcription or translation initiation. The preQ₁ (7-aminomethyl-7-deazaguanine) riboswitch family comprises some of the smallest metabolite sensing RNAs found in nature. Once ligand-bound, the transcriptional Bacillus subtilis and translational Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis preQ₁ riboswitch aptamers are structurally similar RNA pseudoknots; yet, prior structural studies have characterized their ligand-free conformations as largely unfolded and folded, respectively. In contrast, through single molecule observation, we now show that, at nearphysiological Mg²⁺ concentration and pH, …

Iodonium Cyclophanes For Secure Arene Functionalization, Stephen Dimagno

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

This disclosure relates to compounds, reagents, and methods useful in the synthesis of aryl fluorides, for example, in the preparation of 18F labeled radiotracers. For example, this disclosure provides universal “locked” aryl substituents that result in StereoElectronic Control of Unidirectional Reductive Elimination (SECURE) from diaryliodonium salts. The reagents and methods provided herein may be used to access a broad range of compounds, including aromatic compounds, heteroaromatic compounds, amino acids, nucleotides, and synthetic compounds.

Oxidative Damage To Dna In Alzheimer's Disease, Sony Soman

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Previous studies from our laboratory and others show a significant increase in levels of both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and RNA oxidation in vulnerable brain regions in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Although total DNA oxidation is increased in AD it remains unclear whether oxidative damage is widespread throughout the genome or is concentrated to specific genes. To test the hypothesis that specific genes are more highly oxidized in the progression of AD, we propose to quantify the percent oxidative damage in genes coding for proteins shown to be altered in the progression of AD using quantitative/real-time polymerase chain …

Application Of Pyrolysis-Gc/Ms To The Study Of Biomass And Biomass Constituents, Anne E. Ware

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Fast pyrolysis, the rapid thermal decomposition of organic material in the absence of oxygen, is a process that can be used to convert biomass into liquid fuels and chemicals. When performed at the micro-scale, pyrolysis is useful for characterizing biomass structure, as well as determining the pyrolysis products that can be generated from specific biomass feedstocks. Indeed, microscale pyrolysis coupled with on-line analysis of the pyrolysis vapors by GC/MS, so-called pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS), is a technique that can be used to characterize the structure and composition of the various components of lignocellulosic and microalgal biomass based on their pyrolysate distributions. Pyrolysates …

Controlled Transformation Of Nanoparticles With Tunable Surface Plasmon Resonance, Nimer Murshid

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis reports key findings in the synthesis and transformation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with pentagonal symmetries. The main focus of the thesis work is on the synthesis of silver decahedral nanoparticles (AgDeNPs) and their transformation into larger AgDeNPs and silver pentagonal rod nanoparticles (AgPRNPs). In another direction, produced AgNPs were stabilized by gold plating. In a one-stage photochemical synthesis of AgDeNPs (pentagonal bipyramid, J₁₃ solid), oxidative etching by hydrogen peroxide was implemented to achieve complete conversion of the small silver platelet precursor NPs. For convenient laboratory synthesis of high-purity size-selected AgDeNPs, we have also adapted LEDs as a …

The Effects Of Color Concentrates On The Rheology Of Tint Bases, Doug James Herrick

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

THE EFFECTS OF COLOR CONCENTRATES ON THE RHEOLOGY OF TINT BASES

Douglas James Herrick

Waterborne coatings are formulated with a number of different ingredients; water, latex polymers, pigments, surfactants, dispersants, defoamers, biocides, coalescing aids, and rheology modifiers or thickeners. Rheology modifiers are necessary in order to improve the physical properties of the coating before, during, and after application to a substrate. There are two kinds of rheology modifiers used in waterborne coatings; associative thickeners and non-associative thickeners. Coatings formulated with associative thickeners are quite sensitive to coating variations; the slightest change in the formulation has profound effects on the …

Reactions Of Methyl Perfluoroalkyl Ethers With Isopropyl Alcohol: Experimental And Theoretical Studies, Howard Knachel, Vladimir Benin, Chadwick Barklay, Janine C. Birkbeck, Billy D. Faubion, William E. Moddeman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The reaction of an isomeric mixture of the methyl perfluoroalkyl ether, C4F9OCH3 (Novec-7100), in the presence of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and/or water has been studied by measuring the rate of product formation using an ion-selective electrode (ISE) for fluoride ion, Karl Fisher coulometric titrations for water, and 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy for product identification and rate studies. The results showed the methyl perfluoroalkyl ether to be very stable with products forming at the rate of ∼1 ppm per year at a laboratory temperature of 20 °C. Measurements over the temperature range of 6° to 100 °C were made on …

Synthesis Of Metal Organic Framework Composites For Improved Porosity, Jesse Murillo, Venkata P. Neti, Luis Echegoyen*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

The synthesis of new highly porous composite materials, by combining Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) and graphene derivatives is described. The porosity of these composite materials is confirmed by pore volume, nitrogen uptake, BET and Langmuir surface area calculations. Structural information for the composites is accomplished through powder x-ray diffraction measurements, thermal gravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. MOF-210, reported by Yaghi et al. in 2010, was chosen for composition with a graphene oxide composite due to its record holding pore size and internal surface area. The synthetic route to creation of precursors for MOF-210, as well as MOF-210 synthesis, is …