Development of Discovery Based Labs Through Microwave Assisted Synthesis — 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

Development of Discovery Based Labs Through Microwave Assisted Synthesis

Name: Logan Engberg
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Big Lake
Faculty Sponsor: David Brownholland
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research

Abstract

Surfactants are surface-active materials with numerous applications, including: detergents and soaps, cosmetics, fabric softeners, pharmaceutical creams and ointments, and plasticizers. Amino acid-surfactants have generated interest as antibacterial agents, chelating agents, as switchable surfactants, and for chiral resolution. These surfactants are of particular interest because they are largely biodegradable, due to a relatively labile ester or amide bond. We describe the synthesis of O-acylated amino acid surfactants with hydrophobic ω-alkenyl chains. Leucine and Phenylalanine were acylated with ω-undecylenyl alcohol using a Fischer esterification reaction. The amino acid surfactants were then purified using silica-gel chromatography, as well as an amine-selective catch-and-release resin. Future work will include the evaluation of the amino acid surfactants’ antimicrobial activity by performing a Kirby-Bauer Assay, using Muller Hilton Agar (MHA) plates to observe disc diffusion rates based on the susceptibility of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.