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Chemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Honors Theses from 2024 2024

A Unified Synthetic Approach to Onychine, Eupolauridine, and 1-Azafluoranthene via A Shared 1,2,4-Triazine Precursor, Yun Ma

Development of Low-Cost, Arduino based, Nephelometric and Back-Scatter Turbidity Sensors for Community-Led Environmental Restoration Monitoring in Rural Alaotra-Mangoro Region, Madagascar and James City County, Virginia, Sophia Holincheck

Harnessing the Power of Virtual Reality for Organic Chemistry Education, Jungmin Shin

IMPACT OF INTERFACIAL SOLVATION ENVIRONMENTS ON NITROPHENOL PHOTOCHEMISRY, W. Churchill Wilkinson

Investigating Organic Fluorophores for Blink-Based Multiplexing, Amelia Seabury

Investigation into Amine Polyynes for Antibacterial Properties, Sage Kregenow

Metal Antipyrine Complexes for Hydrogen Evolution and Oxygen Reduction, Nicole A. Fritsch

Molecular Dynamics simulations of Solid-Liquid Interfaces for NMR Relaxometry, Jacob Simonpietri

Non-Canonical Amino Acids for Multivalent Conjugation and Light-Mediated Protein Modulation, Robert Kinsman Gourdie

Optimizing Single-Molecule Blink-Based Multiplexing, Emma Smith

Process Modeling the Neuroprotective Effects of a Plant-Based Diet on Parkinson's Disease, Julia Mitchell

Proton Affinities for Proline and Pipecolic-Acid Containing Dipeptides, Georgia Westbrook

Self-Reporting Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles for Superoxide Generation and Detection, Anna Clayborn

Synthesis of Pyridine Derivatives: Cycloaddition/Cycloreversion of 1,4-Oxazinone Intermediates, Zannatul Shahla

Understanding and Harnessing the Blinking Behavior of Emitters for Single-Molecule Imaging, Isabelle Kogan

Use of Molecular Logic Gates for the Tuning of Chemosensor Dynamic Range, Orhan Acikgoz

Honors Theses from 2023 2023

A Combinatorial and Solution Phase Approach to the Synthesis of Polyyne Compound Libraries with Therapeutically Relevant Biological Activity., Cody Funk

Development of Data Science Tools for Photovoltaic Design and Super-Resolution Imaging, Grayson Hoy

Examining the Nutritional Quality of Mixotrophic Dinoflagellates Using Elemental Ratios and Total Lipid Content, Delaney Kirr

First Row Metal Complexes for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction of Artificial Photosynthesis, Ryan Anderson

Introducing Additional Protein Functionality via Incorporation of Non-Canonical Amino Acids, Hannah Smith

Modulation of Protein Function and Synthesis of Bioconjugates using Unnatural Amino Acids, Naya Burrow

Solvent-Mediated Photophysical Outcomes of Brown Carbon Chromophores, Ruby Neisser

Honors Theses from 2022 2022

Chemical Analysis of Organic Compounds in Dew Water, Monica Dibley

Copper(I) Iodide Complexes for the Detection of Aqueous Pyridine, Stephen Yachuw

Differential Protein Expression in Bacteriophages CrimD and Larva, Daria Moody

Gas-Phase Proton Affinities for Twenty of the Proline-Containing Dipeptides, Henry Cardwell

I. Synthesis of Pyrrolodiketopiperazines from an Intact Diketopiperazine Ring II. A Non-oxidative Method for Synthesizing 1,2-diketones from Aldehyde and Organometallic Building Blocks, Gwyneth Pudner

SERS Analysis of Pretreated Red Lake Colorants in Historical Oil Paintings & Development of a SERS Spectral Analysis Program with Deep Learning, Zhaoyun Zheng

Synthesis and Biological Testing of Small-Molecule Mitochondrial Complex I Inhibitors, Willough Sloan

The Role of Relative Humidity on Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol Photolysis, Natalie Warren

Honors Theses from 2021 2021

Alkylpyridinium Iodobismuthate Structural Determination and Analysis, Neal Marshall

Construction of Pyridine Derivatives Using 1,4-Oxazin-2-one Precursors through Cycloaddition / Cycloreversion Tandem Sequences, Nicole Carrillo Vallejo

Developing Iron Complexes for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation, Benjamin Travis

Experimental and Computational Electronic Quenching Dynamics of Nitric Oxide by Molecular Collisional Partners, David J. Hood

Humic Acids as Sacrificial Electron Donors for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation, Allison Moyer

Investigating Charge Transfer Complexes in Brown Carbon Aerosols, Brianna Peterson

Molecular Cluster Fragment Machine Learning Training Techniques to Predict Energetics of Brown Carbon Aerosol Clusters, Emily E. Chappie

Multivalent Conjugation of Biologically Active Molecules Through use of Unnatural Amino Acids, Cameron Goff

Photolysis of Methylglyoxal Brown Carbon, Lemai Vo

Proteomic Analysis of Mycobacteriophage CrimD, William Moeller

Spectroscopy and Dynamics of CO-NO: Intermolecular Interactions Drive Photochemical Outcomes, Daniel Costantino

Synthesis and Biological Testing of Quinone-Based Natural Products, Yihan Qin

Honors Theses from 2020 2020

Adaptation of a Low-Cost Hyperpolarization Technique for Use with Single-Sided NMR, Ruth A. Beaver

Chemical Transformation of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosols Due to Photolytic Aging, Hongmin Yu

Conformational Changes of Lactate Dehydrogenase Isozymes, Benjamin Hauk

Determination of Thermodynamic Properties of Non-Protein Amino Acids and Characterization of Multimers of Carbamazepine, Gwendylan Turner

Employing Unnatural Amino Acids to Develop Bioconjugations, Multivalent Conjugates, and Protein Modulation Strategies, Elizabeth King

Iron polypyridyl complexes for electrocatalytic proton reduction, Zachary Schiffman

Photocatalytic Generation of Hydrogen Catalyzed by Iron (III) Polypyridyl Complexes, Margaret Lawrence

Photolytic Aging of 4-Nitrophenol: Effects of Fresh and Aged Secondary Organic Aerosol on Atmospheric Lifetimes, Lydia Dolvin

Study of the Catalytic Abilities of Methyl-Functionalized & Dimethyl-Functionalized Iron Complexes for Proton Reduction, Jiashu Wang

Synthesis and Investigation of Asymmetric Diyne and Polyyne Compounds for Biological Activity, Lauren Mazur

Using Unnatural Amino Acid Technologies to Immobilize and Regulate Proteins, Emily Mae Peairs

Honors Theses from 2019 2019

1,4-Benzoquinone and 1,4-Naphthoquinone Natural Products: C-H Functionalization and Enzymatic Activity, Zhenyu Han

Atomic Force Microscopy Measurements of Interfacial Forces Between Boron Nitride and Polymers for Development of an Optimum Nano-Composite, Hall Zhang

Characterizing Flame-resistant Polymers using Single-sided NMR, Anna Tsutsui

Determinations of Proton Affinities of Methylated Cysteine and Serine Homologs, Danielle Long

Electrocatalysis for Proton and Oxygen Reduction Reactions, William Lake

Exploring the Blinking Dynamics of Eosin Y Photosensitizers for Dye-Sensitized Photocatalysis Using Single-Molecule Spectroscopy, Pauline Lynch

Iron Complexes for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation, Indira Stevens

Optimizing Silver Nanoparticles for Pigment Identification in Art, Carolyn Farling

Spatial Encoding with Single-sided NMR, Madeline Brass

Honors Theses from 2018 2018

Accessing Light-Sensitive Polycyclic Aromatics through an Alkynyl-Prins Cyclization, Daniel John Speer

Alkyl Arylinium Iodocuprate Clusters: Structural and Spectroscopic Diversity, Amelia Marie Wheaton

Characterizing the Ductile-Brittle Transition of Polyamide-11/ Purification and Characterization of Boron Nitride Nanotubes, William Kim

Construction of Bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane Scaffolds via Intermolecular Diels-Alder: Synthesis of (±)-Brevianamide B and Progress Toward (+)-Serantrypinone, Xiye Wang

Development and Optimization of Bioconjugations to Probe and Modulate Protein Function, Christopher Travis

Employing Unnatural Amino Acids Towards Therapeutic Bioconjugates, Zachary Nimmo

Gas-Phase Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange and Fragmentation Studies of Tetrapeptides Containing Lysine and Its Homologs, AnnaTram Do

Imaging the Dynamics of CH2BrI Photodissociation in the Near Ultraviolet Region, Changen Pan

Investigation of the Catalytic Ability of Iron Complexes Containing Pendant Proton Relays for Proton Reduction, Shichuan Xi

Photo-Controlled Release of Zinc Ions in Aqueous Solution with Simultaneous Fluorescence Detection, Tyler Larson

Honors Theses from 2017 2017

Advancements in the Photocatalysis of Iron Complexes and the Electrocatalysis of Cobalt Complexes for Hydrogen Generation, Ryan J. DiRisio

An analysis of oxidative damage to lactate dehydrogenase in context of neurodegeneration and catechol-based phenolic antioxidant chemistry, Lydia Boike

Characterization of Mixed N,S Donor Ligand and Group 12 Metal Complexes with X-Ray Crystallography, ESI-MS, and NMR, Mikhaila D. Ritz

Connecting Energy Metabolism and Neurodegeneration: Pyruvate Kinase and Oxidative Stress, Julia P. Zuercher

Development of Novel Chemical Strategies to Modulate Biological Function, Diya M. Uthappa

Does 5-propionyl-1-dimethylaminonapthalene Fluoresce through a TICT State?, Tao Chen

Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation by Cobalt Complexes, Jessica E. Armstrong

Fluorescently-Labeled Glutathiones to Quantify Cysteine Reactivity, Saloni H. Patolia

Improving Water Barrier Properties of Epoxy Coatings with Addition of Graphene Oxide, Sang H. Kim

Investigating Biological Properties Utilizing Synthetic Methods, Lindsay E. Chatkewitz

Metabolism and Oxidative Stress: Understanding the Role of Reactive Cysteines in Pyruvate Kinase, Mary Cate Duff

Metabolism and Oxidative Stress: Understanding the Role of Reactive Cysteines in Pyruvate Kinase, Mary Cate Duff

Optogenetic Investigations of the PreBötzinger Complex: Support for the Dbx1 Core Hypothesis, Francis D. Pham

Photocontrol of pH via Doped Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles, Aaron I. Bayles

Structural Comparison of Copper(II) Thiocyanate Pyridine Complexes, Joseph V. Handy

Total synthesis of barettin: Model study of specialized aldol condensation to directly access diketopiperazine targets, Elizabeth W. Kelley

Towards a Greater Understanding of Post-Translational Modification of Transcription Factor, ArsR, in Helicobacter pylori via Bottom-Up Proteomics: Methods Development for Electrospray and Nanospray Approaches, Theresa Gozzo

Tuning the pKa of Fluorescent Rhodamine pH Probes via Substituent Effects, Sarah G. Stratton

Utilization of Unnatural Amino Acids in Novel Bioconjugates and Probing Applications, Christina A. Howard

Visible Light Fluorescence Switching in Dye-Doped Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles, Xinzi Zhang

Honors Theses from 2016 2016

An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Proton Affinity in Proline-Containing Dipeptides: Exploring the “Proline Effect”, Anton Luke Lachowicz

Construction of Bicyclo[2.2.2]diazaoctane Alkaloids via Intermolecular [4+2] Cycloadditions, Jacob Gabriel Robins

Creating a Computational Model of Prion Disease in the Human Neocortex, Christina Alexandra Stephens

Domino Reactions Involving Merged Cycloaddition and Cycloreversion Processes Affording Pyridine Products, Jill Williamson

Fragmentation Studies of Lysine and Lysine Analog Containing Tetrapeptides, Zachariah Imran Hasan

Hydrogen-Bonding Control of Solvatochromism and Non-Radiative Decay in the Fluorescence of 3-Aminofluoren-9-one Derivatives, Isaac Gregory Alty

Investigation of Unnatural Amino Acids as a Means to Modulate Protein Function, Taylor Harrison Jacobs