Three students involved in Stetson University’s Chemistry Department have the honor of attending and presenting their research at the American Chemical Society’s National Semi-Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., March 28-30. These students have been working on specific projects with professors in preparation for this event.

The American Chemical Society is the world’s largest scientific society, comprising more than 163,000 members at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and chemical engineering. It holds two national meetings per year, in late March and late August. The meetings bring together scientists from all over the world to share information and results of their research.

The three Stetson students participating are:

Jacob Geri, of Deltona, Fla., has been working with Dr. John York, assistant professor of chemistry, to understand how thiophene, a sulfur-containing fuel oil contaminant, can be removed from crude oil using copper(I) compounds. Burning thiophene in automobile engines can lead to the creation of acid rain, and Geri has been using computational chemistry to understand how to design better compounds for binding to thiophene and removing it from fuels, potentially helping to reduce environmental contamination.

“Jacob is an amazing student and chemist,”York said, “and his work in copper-thiophene chemistry is tremendous. It will really help to define our understanding in the field of fuel desulfurization.”

Geri already has one research paper with Yorkthat has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Chemical Education, and several other research articles detailing his work are currently in progress.

Rebecca “Becky” Levine, senior chemistry major from Marietta, Ga., has been working with Dr. W. Tandy Grubbs, professor of chemistry, on “A Computational investigation of hydrogen bonding to the metal center in CpRh(CO)2/Cp*Rh(CO)2 and CpIr(CO)2/ Cp*Ir(CO)2 complexes”. This project examines how simple alcohols bind, through hydrogen-bonding, to a specific class of chemical complexes which use a metal as an electron acceptor. Hydrogen-bonding is the same type of chemical interaction that holds double stranded DNA together.

“Becky’s work holds promise for furthering our understanding of catalysis in rhodium and iridium complexes,” Grubbs said.

Levine has worked with Grubbs on numerous projects and has co-authored a paper that was published in The Journal of Chemical Education.

Jen-Chou Wang, senior double-major in chemistry and biochemistry fromTaiwan, has been working with Dr. Ramee Indralingam, associate professor and chair of chemistry, on “Detection of Bisphenol A in the Leachate from Storage Containers and the Possible Interaction between BPA and an Intracellular Target”. Wang worked on developing a simple method for the detection and quantification of BPA that is leached by water from several plastics. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an ingredient used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are used to manufacture baby bottles and food containers. In collaboration with Dr. Harry Price, associate professor of chemistry, molecular modeling was also performed to investigate how BPA potentially affects enzymes in the human body.

“Jen-Chou is one of the most diligent students with whom I have had the pleasure of working,” said Indralingam. “Jen-Chou is a wonderful research collaborator, contributing ideas for new experiments, and carrying out protocols meticulously.”