#39: Synthesis of Amino Acid Surfactants to Examine Antimicrobial Properties — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

#39: Synthesis of Amino Acid Surfactants to Examine Antimicrobial Properties

Name: Cole Hanson
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Chili, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Name: Iman Deanparvar
Major: Chemistry and Biology
Hometown: Mount Pleasant, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Name: Frannie Drake
Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: Naperville, IL
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

Bacteria are evolving to develop antibiotic resistance to new drugs at ever increasing rates, necessitating the need for new antimicrobial agents. Amino-acid surfactants have generated interest as a possible antimicrobial agent due to their biodegradability and effectiveness against bacteria. An ester-linked leucine-based surfactant was previously synthesized and found to exhibit antimicrobial properties. The synthetic procedure of this molecule is currently being optimized to improve purity and yield. However, the ester linking the amino acid headgroup and hydrophobic tail is susceptible to hydrolysis. In order to address this limitation, the surfactant was redesigned to use a more stable amide linkage instead of an ester linkage. Progress towards the synthesis of this amide-linked surfactant is reported. This new surfactant will be analyzed for its antimicrobial properties and the results of these assays will be used to help design new generations of antimicrobial surfactants.

Poster file