chemistry research paper example

A guide to research question writing for undergraduate chemistry education research students

Welcome to chemistry education research

There is no doubt that there are particular challenges associated with chemistry students taking up a project that brings together familiar aspects of chemistry with aspects of social sciences that are likely unfamiliar. There is a new world of terminology and literature and approaches that may initially seem insurmountable. However, as chemistry students, you bring something unique to the discussion on education: your expertise in chemistry and your experience of being a chemistry student. The combination of discipline speciality and focus on education has given rise to a new genre of education research, known as discipline based education research, or DBER ( NRC, 2012 ). The focus on chemistry, known as chemistry education research , intends to offer insights into issues affecting teaching and learning of chemistry from the perspective of chemistry, and offers enormous insight into factors affecting learning in our discipline. This journal ( www.rsc.org/cerp ) along with the Journal of Chemical Education published by the American Chemical Society (http://pubs.acs.org/journal/jceda8) and Chemistry Teacher International published for IUPAC (http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/cti) focus on discipline specific issues relating to chemistry education, and their prominence in being associated with major societies in chemistry indicates the high status chemistry education and chemistry education research has attained with the family of chemistry sub-disciplines.

In an attempt to help students new to chemistry education research take some first steps in their research work, this editorial focuses on the important early stage of immersing in project work: deciding what it is you want to research. Other sources of information relating to project work include the associated editorials in this journal describing more fully other parts of conducting research ( Seery et al. , 2019 ), as well as thinking about how theses published as part of university studies compare to education research publications ( Lawrie et al. , 2020 ). These editorials should be useful to students in the planning and writing stages of their research work respectively and, like all articles published in this journal, are free to access. Guidance on completing a literature review in chemistry education research is available online ( Seery, 2017 ).

What do you want to find out? Defining your research question

The “good” news is that this initial experience is very common. The task at the beginning stage of your first project is to determine what general area you would like to research, and narrow this down iteratively until you decide on a particular question you would like to answer. We will go through this process below, but an important thing to keep in mind at this stage is that work on your first project is both about the research you will do and also what you learn about doing research. Choosing a topic of interest is important for your own motivation. But regardless of the topic, doing a project in this field will involve lots of learning about the research processes and this research field. These associated skills and knowledge will likely be of most benefit to you after you complete your dissertation and go on into a future career and further studies.

Deciding on your research topic

Choosing what you want to work on when you are not quite sure of the menu to select from is very difficult. Start by writing down what kinds of things interest you that could form general topics of study. You could structure these using the following prompts:

• What from your own learning experience was satisfactory or unsatisfactory? When did you feel like you really understood something, or when did you feel really lost? Sketch out some thoughts, and discuss with some classmates to see if they had similar experiences. The task is to identify particular topics in chemistry or particular approaches of teaching that emerge, and use those as a basis for narrowing your interest to a specific theme.

• What issues from the media are topical in relation to education? Perhaps there have been changes to assessment approaches in schools, or there is a focus on graduate employability? What issues relating to education are emerging in reaction to the impact of COVID-19? Is there something current that interests you that you would like to focus on?

• Are there societal issues that are important to you? Perhaps you would like to explore the experience or performance of particular groups within education, or look at historical data and research trends. You might wish to explore education policy and subsequent impact in chemistry education.

It is likely that several broad topics will emerge that will be of interest to you. But you only have one year and one project, so you will need to choose one! So before you choose, take a shortlist of about three broad topics that interest you and find out a little more about them. The aim here is to dip your toe in the water of these topics and get a feel for what kinds of things people do, and see which one piques your interest most, and which one has most potential for a meaningful and achievable research project.

To find out a little more, you should engage in preliminary reading. This is not a literature review – the task here is to find one or two recent articles associated with each topic. To achieve this, you could go directly to one of the journal pages linked above and type in some search terms. With each article of interest you retrieve, use the following prompts to guide your reading:

1. The introduction to the article usually sets the context of the research, with some general issues relating to the research in this topic, while the final section of the paper (“limitations” or “conclusions” sections) give some specific detail on what needs further study. Read over these sections: are the issues being discussed of interest to you?

2. The experimental or methods section of the article usually describes the sample used in the study. If you were to research in this area, can you see how questions you are interested in would translate to your setting? While we will discuss scope of research more carefully below, the task here is to put yourself in the moment of doing a research project to think: what would I do? And then ask; does that moment pique your interest?

3. The results and discussion section of the article describes data the researchers report and what they think it means in the wider context of the research area. Again, while the data that you get in your project will depend on what you set out to do, use this reading to see what kind of data is impressing you, and whether you find the discussion of interest.

This kind of “sampling” of the vast literature available is a little ad hoc , but it can be useful to help bring focus on the kinds of research that are feasible and help refine some conversations that you can have with your research supervisor. While embarking on a new project will always have a big “unknown” associated with it, your task is to become as familiar as possible with your chosen topic as you can in advance, so that you are making as informed a decision as possible about your research topic. Once you have – you are ready to continue your research!

From research topic to research question

While we don’t often explicitly state the research question in chemistry research, scientists do have an implicit sense that different questions lean on different areas of theory and require different methods to answer them. We can use some of this basis in translating the context to chemistry education research; namely that the research question and the underpinning theory are clearly interdependent, and the research question we ask will mandate the approaches that we take to answer it.

In fact, in (chemistry) education research, we are very explicit with research questions, and setting out the research question at the start of a study is a major component of the research process ( White, 2008 ). As you will find repeatedly in your project, all the components of a research process are interdependent, so that the research question will determine the methods that will determine the kinds of data you can get, which in turn determine the question you can answer. The research question determines what particular aspect within a general research topic you are going to consider. Blaikie (2000, p. 58) wrote (emphasis in original):

“In my view, formulating research questions is the most critical and, perhaps, the most difficult part of a research design… Establishing research questions makes it possible to select research strategies and methods with confidence. In other words, a research project is built on the foundation of research questions .”

So there is a lot of pressure on research questions! The good news is that while you do need to start writing down your research question near the beginning of the project, it will change during the early stages of scoping out projects when considering feasibility, and as you learn more from reading. It could change as a result of ethical considerations ( Taber, 2014 ). And it will probably change and be fine-tuned as you refine your instruments and embark on your study. So the first time you write out a research question will not be the last. But the act of writing it out, however bluntly at the start, helps set the direction of the project, indicates what methods are likely to be used in the project (those that can help answer the question), and keeps the project focussed when other tempting questions arise and threaten to steer you off-course. So put the kettle on, get out a pen and a lot of paper, and start drafting your first research question!

Defining your research question

To assist your thinking and guide you through this process, an example is used to show how this might happen in practice. In this example, a student has decided that they want to research something related to a general topic of work-experience in chemistry degree programmes. The student had previously completed some work experience in an industrial chemistry laboratory, and knows of peers who have completed it formally as part of their degree programme. The student's experience and anecdotal reports from peers are that this was a very valuable part of their undergraduate studies, and that they felt much more motivated when returning to study in formal teaching at university, as well as having a much clearer idea on their career aspirations after university.

Stage 1: what type of question do you want to answer?

Some foreshadowed questions that might emerge in early stages of this research design might include:

• What kinds of industrial experience options are available to chemistry students?

• What experiences are reported by students on industrial experience?

• Why do some students choose to take up industrial placements?

• How does a students’ perception of their career-related skills change as a result of industrial experience?

• How do students on industrial experience compare to students without such experience?

All of these questions – and you can probably think of many more – are specific to the general topic of industrial experience. But as they stand, they are too broad and need some focussing. To help, we will first think about the general kind of research we want to do ( White, 2008 ).

Types of research

A second broad area of research is explanatory research, which tends to answer questions that start with “how” or “why”. Explanatory research has less of a focus on the subject of the research, and more on the processes the subjects are engaged with, seeking to establish what structures led to observed outcomes so that reasons for them can be elucidated.

A third broad area of research is comparative research, which tends to compare observations or outcomes in two or more different scenarios, using the comparison to identify useful insights into the differences observed. Many people new to education research seek to focus on comparative questions, looking to answer the generic question of is “X” better than “Y”? This is naturally attractive, especially to those with a scientific background, but it is worthwhile being cautious in approaching comparative studies. Even in well-designed research scenarios where research does find that “X” is indeed better than “Y” (and designing those experimental research scenarios is fraught with difficulty in education studies), the question immediately turns to: “but why”? Having richer research about descriptions or explanations associated with one or both of the scenarios is necessary to begin to answer that question.

Let us think again about our foreshadowed questions in the context of general types of question. The aim here is to simply bundle together foreshadowed questions by question type, and using the question type, begin to focus a little more on the particular aspects of interest to us. The intention here is to begin to elaborate on what these general questions would involve in terms of research (beginning to consider feasibility), as well as the kinds of outcomes that might be determined (beginning to consider value of research).

The descriptive questions above could be further explored as follows:

• What kinds of industrial experience options are available to chemistry students? In answering this question, our research might begin to focus on describing the types of industrial experience that are available, their location, their length, placement in the curriculum, and perhaps draw data from a range of universities. In this first iteration, it is clear that this question will provide useful baseline data, but it is unlikely to yield interesting outcomes on its own.

• What experiences are reported by students on industrial experience? In answering this question, we are likely going to focus on interviewing students individually or in groups to find out their experience, guided by whatever particular focus we are interested in, such as questions about motivation, career awareness, learning from placement, etc. This research has the potential to uncover rich narratives informing our understanding of industrial placements from the student perspective.

The explanatory questions above can be further explored as follows:

• How does students’ perception of their career-related skills change as a result of industrial experience? In answering this question, our research would remain focussed on student reports of their experiences, but look at it in the context of their sense of career development, their awareness of development of such skills, or perhaps identifying commonalities that emerge across a cohort of students. This research has the potential to surface such issues and inform the support of career development activities.

• Why do some students choose to take up industrial placements? In answering this question, our research would likely involve finding out more about individual students’ choices. But it is likely to uncover rich seams that can be explored across cohorts – do particular types of students complete placements, or are there any barriers to identify regarding encouraging students to complete placements? “Why” questions tend to throw up a lot of follow-on questions, and their feasibility and scope need to be attended to carefully. But they can offer a lot of insight and power in understanding more deeply issues around particular educational approaches.

The comparative question above can be further explored as follows:

• How do students on industrial experience compare to students without such experience? In answering this question, research might compare educational outcomes or reports of educational experience of students who did and did not complete industrial experience, and draw some inference from that. This type of question is very common among novice researchers, keen to find out whether a particular approach is better or worse, but extreme caution is needed. There may be unobservable issues relating to students who choose particular options that result in other observable measures such as grades, and in uncovering any differences in comparing cohorts, care is needed that an incorrect inference is not made. Handle comparisons with caution!

At this stage, you should pause reading, and dwell on your research topic with the above considerations in mind. Write out some general research areas that have piqued your interest (the foreshadowed questions) and identify them as descriptive, explanatory, or comparative. Use those headline categories to tease out a little more what each question entails: what would research look like, who would it involve, and what information would be obtained (in general terms). From the list of questions you identify, prioritise them in terms of their interest to you. From the exercise above, I think that the “how” question is of most interest to me – I am an educator and therefore am keen to know how we can best support students’ return to studies after being away on placement. I want to know more about difficulties experienced in relation to chemistry concepts during that reimmersion process so that I can make changes and include supports for students. For your research area and your list of foreshadowed questions, you should aim to think about what more focussed topics interest and motivate you, and write out the reason why. This is important; writing it out helps to express your interest and motivation in tangible terms, as well as continuing the process of refining what exactly it is you want to research.

Once you have, we can begin the next stage of writing your research question which involves finding some more context about your research from the literature.

Stage 2: establishing the context for your research

Finding your feet, types of context.

Let's make some of this tangible. In focussing my foreshadowed questions, I have narrowed my interest to considering how students on work experience are aware of their career development, how they acknowledge skills gained, and are able to express that knowledge. Therefore I want to have some theoretical underpinnings to this – what existing work can I lean on that will allow me to further refine my question.

As an example of how reading some literature can help refine the question, consider the notes made about the following two articles.

• A 2017 article that discusses perceived employability among business graduates in an Australian and a UK university, with the latter incorporating work experience ( Jackson and Wilton, 2017 ): this study introduces me to the term “perceived employability”, the extent to which students believe they will be employed after graduation. It highlights the need to consider development of career awareness at the individual level. It discusses the benefits of work experience on perceived employability, although a minimum length is hinted at for this to be effective. It introduces (but does not measure) concepts of self-worth and confidence. Data to inform the paper is collected by a previously published survey instrument. Future work calls for similar studies in other disciplines.

• A 2017 article that discusses undergraduate perceptions of the skills gained from their chemistry degree in a UK university ( Galloway, 2017 ): this study reports on the career relevant skills undergraduate students wished to gain from their degree studies. This study informs us about the extent to which undergraduates are thinking about their career skills, with some comparison between students who were choosing to go on to a chemistry career and those who were considering some other career. It identifies career-related skills students wished to have more of in the chemistry curriculum. Most of the data is collected by a previously published survey. This work helps me locate my general reading in the context of chemistry.

Just considering these two articles and my foreshadowed question, it is possible to clarify the research question a little more. The first article gives some insight into some theoretical issues by introducing a construct of perceived employability – that is something that can be measured (thinking about how something can be measured is called operationalisation). This is related to concepts of self-worth and confidence (something that will seed further reading). Linking this with the second article, we can begin to relate it to chemistry; we can draw on a list of skills that are important to chemistry students (whether or not they intend to pursue chemistry careers), and the perceptions about how they are developed in an undergraduate context. Both articles provide some methodological insights – the use of established surveys to elicit student opinion, and the reporting of career-important skills from the perspective of professional and regulatory bodies for chemistry, as well as chemistry students.

Taking these two readings into account, we might further refine our question. The original foreshadowed question was:

“ How does students’ perception of their career-related skills change as a result of industrial experience? ”

If we wished to draw on the literature just cited, we could refine this to:

“ How does undergraduate chemistry students’ perceived employability and awareness of career-related skills gained change as a result of a year-long industrial placement? ”

This step in focussing is beginning to move the research question development into a phase where particular methods that will answer it begin to emerge. By changing the phrase “perception” to “perceived employability”, we are moving to a particular aspect of perception that could be measured, if we follow methods used in previous studies. We can relate this rather abstract term to the work in chemistry education by also incorporating some consideration of students’ awareness of skills reported to be important for chemistry students. We are also making the details of the study a little more specific; referring to undergraduate chemistry students and the length of the industrial placement. This question then is including:

– The focus of the research: perception of development of career skills.

– The subject of the research: undergraduate chemistry students on placement.

– The data likely to be collected: perceived employment and awareness of career related skills.

It is likely that as more reading is completed, some aspects of this question might change; it may become more refined or more limited in scope. It may change subject from looking at a whole cohort to just one or two individual student journeys. But as the question crystallises, so will the associated methodology and it is important in early readings not to be immediately swayed in one direction or another. Read as broadly as you can, looking at different methods and approaches, and find something that lines up with what it is you want to explore in more detail.

Stage 3: testing your research question

Personal biases.

Whatever we like to tell ourselves, there will always be personal bias. In my own research on learning in laboratories, I have a bias whereby I cannot imagine chemistry programmes without laboratory work ( Seery, 2020 ). If I were to engage in research that examined, for example, the replacement of laboratory work with virtual reality, my personal bias would be that I could not countenance that such an approach could replace the reality of laboratory work. This is a visceral reaction – it is grounded in emotion and personal experience, rather than research, because at the time of writing, little research on this topic exists. Therefore I would need to plan carefully any study that investigated the role of virtual reality in laboratory education to ensure that it was proofed from my own biases, and work hard to ensure that voices or results that challenged my bias were allowed to emerge. The point is that we all have biases, and they need to be openly acknowledged and continually aired. I suggest to my students that they write out their own biases related to their research early in their studies as a useful checkpoint. Any results that come in that agree with the tendency of a bias are scrutinised and challenged in detail. This can be more formally done by writing out a hypothesis, which is essentially a prediction or a preconception of what a finding might be. Hypotheses are just that – they need to be tested against evidence that is powerful enough to confirm or refute them.

Bias can also emerge in research questions. Clearly, our research question written in the format: “why are industrial placements so much better than a year of lecture courses?” is exposing the bias of the author plainly. Biases can be more subtle. Asking leading questions such as “what are the advantages of…” or “what additional benefits are there to…” are not quite as explicitly biased, but there is an implicit suggestion that there will be advantages and benefits. Your research question should not pre-empt the outcome; to do so negates the power of your research. Similarly, asking dichotomous questions (is placement or in-house lecturing best?) implies the assumption that one or the other is “best”, when the reality is that both may have distinct advantages and drawbacks, and a richer approach is to explore what each of those are.

Question scope

Feasibility relates to lots of aspects of the project. In our study on industrial experience, the question asks how something will change, and this immediately implies that we will at least find out what the situation was at the beginning of the placement and at some point during or after the placement. Will that be feasible? Researchers should ask themselves how they will access those they wish to research. This becomes a particular challenge if the intention is to research students based in a different institution. The question should also be reviewed to ensure that it is feasible to achieve an answer with the resources you have to hand. Asking for example, whether doing an industrial placement influences future career choices would be difficult to answer as it would necessitate tracking down a sufficient sample of people who had (and had not) completed placements, and finding a robust way of exploring the influence of placement on their career choice. This might be feasible, but not in the timeframe or with the budget you have assigned to you. Finally, feasibility in terms of what you intend to explore should be considered. In our example research question, we have used the term “perceived employability”, as this is defined and described in previous literature with an instrument that can elicit some value associated with it. Care is needed when writing questions to ensure that you are seeking to find something that can be measured.

Of course researchers will naturally over-extend their research intentions, primarily because that initial motivation they have tapped into will prompt an eagerness to find out as much as possible about their topic of study. One way of addressing this is to write out a list of questions that draw from the main research question, with each one addressing some particular aspect of the research question. For our main research question:

we could envisage some additional related questions:

(a) Are there differences between different types of placement?

(b) Are the observations linked to experience on placement or some other factors?

(c) What career development support did students get during placement?

(d) How did students’ subsequent career plans change as a result of placement?

And the list could go on (and on). Writing out a list of related questions allows you to elaborate on as many aspects of the main question as you can. The task now is to prioritise them. You may find that in prioritising them, one of these questions itself becomes your main question. Or that you will have a main question and a list of subsidiary questions. Subsidiary questions are those which relate to the main question but take a particular focus on some aspect of the research. A good subsidiary question to our main question is question (a), above. This will drill down into the data we collect in the main question and elicit more detail. Care should be taken when identifying subsidiary questions. Firstly, subsidiary questions need to be addressed in full and with the same consideration as the main questions. Research that reports subsidiary question findings that are vague or not fully answered is poor, and undermines the value and power of the findings from the main research questions. If you don’t think you can address it in the scope of your study, it is best to leave it out. Secondly, questions that broaden the scope of the study rather than lead to a deeper focus are not subsidiary questions but rather are ancillary questions. These are effectively new and additional questions to your main research, and it is unlikely that you will have the time or scope to consider them in this iteration. Question (d) is an example of an ancillary question.

Question structure

The length of a research question is the subject of much discussion, and in essence, your question needs to be as long as it needs to be, but no longer. Questions that are too brief will not provide sufficient context for the research, whereas those that are too long will likely confuse the reader as to what it is you are actually looking to do. New researchers tend to write overly long questions, and tactics to address this include thinking about whether the question includes too many aspects. Critiquing my own question, I would point out that I am asking two things in one question – change in perceived employability and change in awareness of career-related skills gained – and if I were to shorten it, I could refer to each of those aspects in subsidiary questions instead. This would clarify that there are two components to the research, and while related, each will have their own data collection requirements and analysis protocols.

Research questions should be written as clearly as possible. While we have mentioned issues relating to language to ensure it is understandable, language issues also need to be considered in our use of terms. Words such as “frequent” or “effective” or “successful” are open to interpretation, and are best avoided, using more specific terms instead ( Kane, 1984 ). The word “significant” in education research has a specific meaning derived from statistical testing, and should only be used in that context. Care is needed when referring to groups of people as well. Researching “working class” students’ experiences on industrial placement is problematic, as the term is vague and can be viewed as emotive. It is better to use terms that can be more easily defined and better reflect a cohort profile (for example, “first generation” refers to students who are the first in their family to attend university) or terms that relate to government classifications, such as particular postcodes assigned a socio-economic status based on income.

As well as clarity with language, research questions should aim to be as precise as possible. Vagueness in research questions relating to what is going to be answered or what the detail of the research is in terms of sample or focus can lead to vagueness in the research itself, as the researcher will not have a clear guide to keep them focussed during the research process. Check that your question and any subsidiary questions are focussed on researching a specific aspect within a defined group for a clear purpose.

Moving on from research question writing

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100+ Great Chemistry Research Topics

Table of contents

• 1 5 Tips for Writing Chemistry Research Papers
• 2 Chemical Engineering Research Topics
• 3 Organic Сhemistry Research Topics
• 4 Іnorganic Сhemistry Research Topics
• 5 Biomolecular Сhemistry Research Topics
• 6 Analytical Chemistry Research Topics
• 7 Computational Chemistry Research Topics
• 8 Physical Chemistry Research Topics
• 9 Innovative Chemistry Research Topics
• 10 Environmental Chemistry Research Topics
• 11 Green Chemistry Research Topics
• 12.1 Conclusion

Do you need a topic for your chemistry research paper? Are you unsure of where to start? Don’t worry – we’re here to help. In this post, we’ll go over a series of the best chemistry research paper topics as well as Tips for Writing Chemistry Research Papers on different topics. By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll have plenty of ideas to get started on your next research project!

There are many different subfields of chemistry, so it can be tough to find interesting chemistry topics to write about. If you’re struggling to narrow down your topic, we’ll go over lists of topics in multiple fields of study.

Doing research is important to help scientists learn more about the world around us. By researching different compounds and elements, we can learn more about how they interact with one another and how they can be used to create new products or improve existing ones.

There are many different topics that you can choose to research in chemistry. Here are just a few examples:

• The history of chemistry and how it has evolved over time
• How different chemicals react with one another
• How to create new compounds or improve existing ones
• The role of chemistry in the environment
• The health effects of different chemicals

5 Tips for Writing Chemistry Research Papers

Once you have chosen a topic for your research paper , it is important to follow some tips to ensure that your paper is well-written and accurate. Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Start by doing some background research on your topic. This will help you understand the basics of the topic and give you a good foundation to build your paper on.
• Make sure to cite all of the sources that you use in your paper. This will help to show where you got your information and will also help to add credibility to your work.
• Be sure to proofread your paper before you submit it. This will ensure that there are no errors and that your paper is clear and concise.
• Get help from a tutor or friend if you are struggling with your paper. They may be able to offer helpful advice or feedback.
• Take your time when writing your research paper . This is not a race, and it is important to make sure that you do a good job on your research.

By following these tips, you can be sure that your chemistry research paper will be a success! So what are you waiting for? Let’s go over some of the best research paper topics out there.

Chemical Engineering Research Topics

Chemical Engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the design and application of chemical processes. If you’re wondering how to choose a paper topic, here are some ideas to inspire you:

• How to create new alloy compounds or improve existing ones
• The health effects of the food industry chemicals
• Chemical engineering and sustainable development
• The future of chemical engineering
• Chemical engineering and the food industry
• Chemical engineering and the pharmaceutical industry
• Chemical engineering and the cosmetics industry
• Chemical engineering and the petrochemical industry
• Biocompatible materials for drug delivery systems
• Membrane technology in water treatment
• Development of synthetic fibers for industrial use

These are just a few examples – there are many more possibilities out there! So get started on your research today. Who knows what you might discover!

Organic Сhemistry Research Topics

Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-containing molecules. There are many different organic chemistry research topics that a student could choose to focus on and here are just a few examples of possible research projects in organic chemistry:

• Investigating new methods for synthesizing chiral molecules
• Studying the structure and reactivity of carbon nanotubes
• Investigating metal complexes with organometallic ligands
• Designing benzene derivatives with improved thermal stability
• Exploring new ways to control the stereochemistry of chemical reactions
• Studying the role of enzymes in organic synthesis
• Investigating new strategies for combating drug resistance
• Developing new methods for detecting explosives residues
• Studying the photochemistry of organic molecules
• Studying the behavior of organometallic compounds in biological systems
• Synthetic routes for biodegradable plastics
• Catalysis in organic synthesis
• Development of non-toxic solvents

Іnorganic Сhemistry Research Topics

Inorganic Chemistry is the study of the chemistry of materials that do not contain carbon. Unlike other chemistry research topics, these include elements such as metals, minerals, and inorganic compounds. If you are looking for inorganic chemistry research topics on inorganic chemistry, here are some ideas to get you started:

• How different metals react with one another
• How to create new alloys or improve existing ones
• The role of inorganic chemistry in the environment
• Rare earth elements and their applications in electronics
• Inorganic polymers in construction materials
• Photoluminescent materials for energy conversion
• Inorganic chemistry and sustainable development
• The future of inorganic chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry and the food industry
• Inorganic chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry
• Atomic structure progressive scale grading
• Inorganiс Сhemistry and the cosmetics industry

Biomolecular Сhemistry Research Topics

Biomolecular chemistry is the study of molecules that are important for life. These molecules can be found in all living things, from tiny bacteria to the largest animals. Researchers who work in this field use a variety of techniques to learn more about how these molecules function and how they interact with each other.

If you are looking for essential biomolecular chemistry research topics, here are some ideas to get you started:

• The structure and function of DNA
• Lipidomics and its applications in disease diagnostics
• The structure and function of proteins
• The role of carbohydrates in the body
• The role of lipids in the body
• How enzymes work
• Protein engineering for therapeutic applications
• The role of biochemistry in heart disease
• Cyanides and their effect on the body
• The role of biochemistry in cancer treatment
• The role of biochemistry in Parkison’s disease treatment
• The role of biochemistry in the immune system
• Carbohydrate-based vaccines

The possibilities are endless for someone willing to dedicate some time to research.

Analytical Chemistry Research Topics

Analytical Chemistry is a type of chemistry that helps scientists figure out what something is made of. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as spectroscopy or chromatography. If you are looking for research topics, here are some ideas to get you started:

• How food chemicals react with one another
• Mass spectrometry
• Microplastics detection in marine environments
• Development of sensors for heavy metal detection in water
• Analytical aspects of gas and liquid chromatography
• Analytical chemistry and sustainable development
• Atomic absorption spectroscopy methods and best practices
• Analytical chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry in Ibuprofen consumption
• Analytical chemistry and the cosmetics industry in UV protectors
• High-throughput screening methods in pharmaceutical analysis
• Dispersive X-ray analysis of damaged tissues

Analytical chemistry is considered by many a complex science and there is a lot yet to be discovered in the field.

Computational Chemistry Research Topics

Computational chemistry is a way to use computers to help chemists understand chemical reactions. This can be done by simulating reactions or by designing new molecules. If you are looking for essential chemistry research topics in computational chemistry, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Molecular mechanics simulation
• Machine learning applications in predicting molecular properties
• Reaction rates of complex chemical reactions
• Designing new molecules: how can simulation help
• The role of computers in the study of quantum mechanics
• How to use computers to predict chemical reactions
• Using computers to understand organic chemistry
• The future of computational Chemistry in organic reactions
• The impacts of simulation on the development of new medications
• Combustion reaction simulation impact on engine development
• Quantum-chemistry simulation review
• Simulation of protein folding and misfolding in diseases
• Development of algorithms for chemical synthesis planning
• Applications of Metal-Organic Frameworks in water sequestration and catalysis

Computers are cutting-edge technology in chemical research and this relatively new field of study has a ton yet to be explored.

Physical Chemistry Research Topics

Physical chemistry is the study of how matter behaves. It looks at the physical and chemical properties of atoms and molecules and how they interact with each other. If you are looking for physical chemistry research topics, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Standardization of pH scales
• Structure of atom on a quantum scale
• Bonding across atoms and molecules
• The effect of temperature on chemical reactions
• The role of light in in-body chemical reactions
• Chemical kinetics
• Molecular dynamics in confined spaces
• Quantum computing for solving chemical problems
• Studies on non-Newtonian fluids in industrial processes
• Surface tension and its effects on mixtures
• The role of pressure in chemical reactions
• Rates of diffusion in gases and liquids
• The role of entropy in chemical reactions

Here are just a few samples, but there are plenty more options! Start your research right now!

Innovative Chemistry Research Topics

Innovative chemistry is all about coming up with new ideas and ways to do things. This can be anything from creating new materials to finding new ways to make existing products. If you are looking for ground-breaking chemistry research topics, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Amino acids side chain effects in protein folding
• Chemistry in the production of nanomaterials
• The role of enzymes in chemical reactions
• Photocatalysis in 3D printing
• Avoiding pesticides in agriculture
• Combining chemical and biological processes
• Gene modification in medicinal chemistry
• The role of quantum mechanics in chemical reactions
• Astrochemical research on extraterrestrial molecules
• Spectroscopy signatures of pressurized organic components
• Development of smart materials with responsive properties
• Chemistry in space: studying chemical reactions in microgravity
• Utilization of CO2 in chemical synthesis
• Use of black soldier fly carcasses for bioplastic production using extracted chitin
• Bioorthogonal chemistry for molecule synthesis inside living systems

If you need a hand, there are several sites that also offer research papers for sale and can be a great asset as you work to create your own research papers.

Whatever route you decide to take, good luck! And remember – the sky’s the limit when it comes to research! So get started today and see where your studies may take you. Who knows, you might just make a breakthrough discovery!

Environmental Chemistry Research Topics

Environmental Chemistry is the study of how chemicals interact with the environment. This can include anything from the air we breathe to the water we drink. If you are looking for environmental chemistry research topics, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Plastic effects on ocean life
• Urban ecology
• The role of carbon in climate change
• Air pollution and its effects
• Water pollution and its effects
• Chemicals in food and their effect on the body
• The effect of chemicals on plant life
• Earth temperature prediction models
• Effects of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments
• Atmospheric chemistry and urban air quality
• Bioremediation techniques for oil spill cleanup
• Regulatory and environmental impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl (PFA) substances
• Comparison of chemical regulation impacts like PFA with historical cases such as lead in fuel

A lot of research on the environment is being conducted at the moment because the environment is in danger. There are a lot of environmental problems that need to be solved, and research is the key to solving them.

Green Chemistry Research Topics

Green chemistry is the study of how to make products and processes that are environmentally friendly. This can include anything from finding new ways to recycle materials to developing new products that are biodegradable. If you are looking for green chemistry research topics, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Recycling and reuse of materials
• Developing biodegradable materials
• Improving existing recycling processes
• Green chemistry and sustainable development
• The future of green chemistry
• Green chemistry and the food industry
• Lifecycle assessment of chemical processes
• Green chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry
• Development of catalysts for green chemistry
• Green chemistry and the cosmetics industry
• Alternative energy sources for chemical synthesis

A more environmentally friendly world is something we all aspire for and a lot of research has been conducted on how we can achieve this, making this one of the most promising areas of study. The results have been varied, but there are a few key things we can do to make a difference.

Controversial Chemistry Research Topics

Controversial chemistry is all about hot-button topics that people are passionate about. This can include anything from the use of chemicals in warfare to the health effects of different chemicals. If you are looking for controversial topics to write about , here are some ideas to get you started:

• The use of chemicals in warfare
• Gene modification in human babies
• Bioengineering
• How fast food chemicals affect the human brain
• The role of the government in regulating chemicals
• Evolution of cigarette chemicals over time
• Chemical effects of CBD oils
• Ethical issues in genetic modification of organisms
• Nuclear energy: risks and benefits
• Use of chemicals in electronic waste recycling
• Antidepressant chemical reactions
• Synthetic molecule replication methods
• Gene analysis

Controversial research papers often appear in the media before it has been peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal. The reason for this is that the media is interested in stories that are new, exciting, and generate a lot of debate.

Chemistry is an incredibly diverse and interesting field, with many controversial topics to write about. If you are looking for a research topic, consider the examples listed in this article. With a little bit of effort, you are sure to find a topic that is both interesting and within your skillset.

In order to be a good researcher, it is important to be able to think critically and solve problems. However, innovation in chemistry research can be challenging. When thinking about how to innovate, it is important to consider both the practical and theoretical aspects of your research. Additionally, try to build on the work of others in order to create something new and unique. With a little bit of effort, you are sure to be able to find a topic that is both interesting and within your skillset.

Happy writing!

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Chemistry writing resources, starting a lab report or research paper, general writing style information, parts of research paper or report.

• Citations and References
• Return to Main Chemistry Guide

To get started writing a research paper or laboratory report, it is important to consider if you have enough data or enough information to compose a paper.  Additionally, it is also important to consider what you want you want to report and how to report it--clear communication of results is crucial when discussing the experiments. 

This American Chemical Society (ACS) blog post on  How to Write a Research Paper provides some general guidelines to determine when to write a paper and how to get started when it comes to reporting and communicating the results of an experiment or experiments.

Every discipline has a style and format that is used for scholarly communication, and chemistry as a field has a certain format for papers as well as a a style of writing that developed as the field itself grew and information was shared and published.

General Style and Writing Guidelines:

• Chemistry is always written in the third person, in the past-tense and passive voice. 
• Pronouns like "I", "We", and "Us" are not typically used
• Be succinct when describing observations and processes
• It is not necessary to provide detailed descriptions of standard practices or techniques. 

For information on specific sections that might appear in a scholarly article or laboratory report you may wish to go to the next section in this guide that provides a summary on all the different Parts of A Research Paper and provides links to articles that provide significant detail regarding the style and content for each major section.

Note: While the resources in the guide are meant to help, it is always important to follow the guidelines of the publication or course instructor that you are writing for.

Adapted from information found in Chapter 2 of the ACS Style Guide

Additional resources and information on each sections are also provided from the journal Clinical Chemistry from the section of their journal "Guide To Scientific Writing." Click on the title for a direct link to the PDF or use the corresponding citation for each article to view the online version. All articles are open access articles.

The title should be brief and specific enough to clearly communicate the contents of the paper/research, but should not be overly technical.

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: The Title Says it All

Thomas M Annesley, The Title Says It All, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 3, 1 March 2010, Pages 357–360, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2009.141523

The byline or list of authors includes all individuals that contributed in a substantial manner to the research being reported.

Generally, the person that did the research is listed as the first author of the paper and names are traditionally formatted as "first name, middle initial, and surname"

The abstract should provide an informative and brief summary of what is written in the paper, and should allow for a reader to quickly understand the nature/purpose of the research, the methods used, the results observed, and any major conclusions that came from the research.

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: The Abstract and the Elevator Talk: A Tale of Two Summaries

Thomas M Annesley, The Abstract and the Elevator Talk: A Tale of Two Summaries, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 4, 1 April 2010, Pages 521–524, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2009.142026

An introduction puts the experiment or research into context; it should provide background regarding the question or problem being explored and using applicable scientific literature and references help explain why the question being answered or the research being pursued is relevant and/or important.

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: It was a cold and rainy night”: Set the Scene with a Good Introduction

Thomas M Annesley, “It was a cold and rainy night”: Set the Scene with a Good Introduction, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 5, 1 May 2010, Pages 708–713, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.143628

Depending upon the publication or style, this section has many different possible names; chose the correct name for the section based upon the publication to which the research is being submitted or the laboratory report is meant to emulate. 

This section should provide information regarding the techniques used in answering your research question and should say HOW the research question was probed or answered with enough information that another practitioner in the field could reproduce the experiment and results.  In order to accomplish these goals, the experimental section should  identify the materials used and must also provide sufficient details about characterization methods, experimental procedures, or any apparatus used  that is not standard for the field.

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why: The Ingredients in the Recipe for a Successful Methods Section

Thomas M Annesley, Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why: The Ingredients in the Recipe for a Successful Methods Section, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 6, 1 June 2010, Pages 897–901, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.146589

The data collected or the results of the research/experiment are presented and summarized in this section often using graphs, tables, or equations.  When dealing with a large amount of data, the results section provides a summary while additional results or data can be included in a supporting information section. 

It is important to remember that in this section, the results are NOT put into context nor are the results or observations explained. 

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: Show Your Cards: The Results Section and the Poker Game

Thomas M Annesley, Show Your Cards: The Results Section and the Poker Game, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 7, 1 July 2010, Pages 1066–1070, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.148148

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: If an IRDAM Journal Is What You Choose, Then Sequential Results Are What You Use

              IRDAM = Introduction, Results, Discussion, Methods in terms of order of sections. Many ACS Journals follow this format!

              IMRAD = Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion in terms of order of sections

Pamela A Derish, Thomas M Annesley, If an IRDAM Journal Is What You Choose, Then Sequential Results Are What You Use, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 8, 1 August 2010, Pages 1226–1228, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.150961

The discussion section highlights and interprets the results or data obtained and explains how the resulting data relates to the original research question.  It explains how and why the results obtained  are significant.  It is appropriate to examine and explain why the results were observed and why the data was interpreted in a specific way. This is also the section where additional research or further work regarding the research question can be stated.

The results and the discussion can be presented as a combined "Results and Discussion" section if it makes sense to do so.

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument

Thomas M Annesley, The Discussion Section: Your Closing Argument, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 11, 1 November 2010, Pages 1671–1674, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.155358 '

Figures and tables should be included in the Results or the Results and discussion section and should support, clarify, and make your work more clear through a visual, organized, representation of the data collected.

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: Put Your Best Figure Forward: Line Graphs and Scattergrams

Thomas M Annesley, Put Your Best Figure Forward: Line Graphs and Scattergrams, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 8, 1 August 2010, Pages 1229–1233, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.150060

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: Bars and Pies Make Better Desserts than Figures

Thomas M Annesley, Bars and Pies Make Better Desserts than Figures, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 9, 1 September 2010, Pages 1394–1400, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.152298

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: Bring Your Best to the Table

Thomas M Annesley, Bring Your Best to the Table, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 56, Issue 10, 1 October 2010, Pages 1528–1534, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.153502

The conclusion provides a brief summary of what was accomplished in a manner similar to the abstract, but the conclusion should specifically address how the results of the research relate back to the original question or problem.

A list of the published works that were cited in the paper or report using the proper citation and reference format for the field and publication (e.g. citing and providing a reference list using the American Chemical Society guidelines).

• Clinical Chemistry -Guide to Scientific Writing: Giving Credit: Citations and References

Thomas M Annesley, Giving Credit: Citations and References, Clinical Chemistry , Volume 57, Issue 1, 1 January 2011, Pages 14–17, https://doi.org/10.1373/clinchem.2010.158048

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Scientific Methodology: Structure of a Research Paper e.g. Chemistry

• Structure of a Research Paper e.g. Biology
• Structure of a Research Paper e.g. Chemistry
• Tips : Writing Science Papers
• Citation Indexes

Scientific research papers usually follow a standard format which is logical, has an easy to understand structure, and which reflects “the scientific method of deductive reasoning: define the problem, create a hypothesis, devise an experiment to test the hypothesis, conduct the experiment, and draw conclusions.”  (ACS Style Guide, Chap 2,  p. 19).

Note: When writing a research paper, the sections may follow a different format and procedure for the different science disciplines. The format may also be varied by the specific journal which is publishing a research article.

Chemistry Research Paper Outline

                                                       Writing a Chemistry Research Paper

*   Atlernative titles: Experimental, Experimental Section, Theoretical Analysis,

     or Materials & Methods.

** The Discussion and Conclusion are often combined into one section.

• << Previous: Structure of a Research Paper e.g. Biology
• Next: Tips : Writing Science Papers >>
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How to Write an Effective Chemistry Research Paper (Part 2)

In this article, we describe the scientific conventions and writing styles followed in Chemistry papers.

Beginning a Sentence

Avoid starting a sentence with a symbol or numerical value.

✖ 0.5 g of NaOH was added to 5 ml of DW, and the solution was heated.

✔︎ After addition of 0.5 g of NaOH to 5 ml of DW, the solution was heated.

Pedagogical Phrases

Avoid including phrases which address the process of learning and not the science of the experiment.

This experiment helped us learn about…

The goal of this experiment was to learn about…

Although such sentences are preferred in Original Articles, scientific reports/communication should ideally focus only on the data and results.

Illogical Constructions

Check that a modifier phrase or the pronoun “it” actually refers to the intended subject.

To avoid dangling modifiers and unclear antecedents, think about the subject.

✖ Being coated with grease, I cleaned the flask before adding reagents.

Was I coated with grease or the flask?

The flask was coated with grease, and so,

✔︎ Because the flask was coated with grease, it was cleaned before adding reagents.

Personal Pronouns

Because scientific experiments demonstrate facts that do not depend on the observer, reports should avoid using the first and second person (I/we/our/us).

✖ I filtered the solution and noticed production of a yellow powder.

✔︎ Filtration of the solution, yielded a yellow powder.

However, when referring to your own results or conclusions, it is better to use the first or second person.

While AB et al. report X value, the authors’ data indicates Y value.

AB et al. report X value, but our data yield Y value.

Active Voice

When possible, replace passive voice with active voice for clarity.

✖ Passive: There was some solid that did not dissolve.

✔︎ Active: Some solid did not dissolve.

Personification

Do not personify compounds and equipments.

✖ The spectrum shows two bands of equal intensity.

✔︎ Two bands of equal intensity appear in the spectrum.

Plural Nouns

Usage of verbs when mentioning amount of chemical reagent and terms like data (singular: datum) and spectra (spectrum) is often confused.

A quantity used is a singular subject, even when that quantity is in a plural form of units.

✖  While the solution boiled, 5.0 g of KBr were added.

✔︎ While the solution boiled, 5.0 g of KBr was added.

Verb Tense and “Verbing” a Noun

Usually the journal guidelines specify the tense to be followed in each section of the manuscript.

Use past tense to describe a procedure:

Hydrochloric acid was added to the flask slowly in order to prevent decomposition of the product.

Use present tense to describe a scientific fact:

Hydrochloric acid is a caustic substance that must be used with caution.

“Verbing” a noun, i.e., turning a noun into a verb makes the sentence unclear and should be avoided.

✖ X complexes to Y

✔︎ X forms complexes with Y

Abbreviations, Formulae, and Numerals

Define abbreviations for chemical compounds or ligands at the first instance. However, standard organic abbreviations (e.g., Me = methyl, Pr = iso -propyl) can be used. Use chemical formulae for standard compounds but not when the name is shorter or more precise.

• NaOH (aq) for sodium hydroxide
• Caffeine for C 8 H 10 N 4 O 2

Long compound names can be numbered if repeated many times. The number should be bold or underlined, defined when first presented and appear in parenthesis when used as an adjective.

Investigations into 8-hydroxyquinoline (1) and 4-iodo-8-hydroxyquinoline (2) are described. Recrystallization of 1 and 2 …

Use a leading zero for values less than unity and avoid values with many zero (use scientific notation instead) for decimals.

✖ .15 mm,  ✔︎ 0.15 mm

✖ 0.000024 mM, ✔︎ 2.3 × 10 –4  mM

Chemical Names

The names of chemicals are not capitalized, unless they are trade names (e.g., “Tylenol”).

✖ The reaction of Cobalt (II) was…

✔︎ The reaction of cobalt (II) was…

Terms and Expressions

Use terms like “ synthesizing ” new compounds and “ preparing ” solutions, avoid terms like “products were created .” With/Using/By/On—avoid using these interchangeably, as they might be incorrect in some cases

Spectra are measured “ with / using ” and not “ on ” a spectrometer.

Spectrometers, colorimeters, etc. should be referred to as “instruments” not “machines.” 

The intransitive verb “ react ” is the most used term in chemistry papers. It should not have an object and should not have a passive voice. Chemical reagents react with each other, they are not reacted.

✖ A and B were reacted to produce C and D.

✔︎ The reaction of A and B, potassium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid, produced C and D.

A hypothesis can be “ tested ”; however, for most laboratory work, the terms “measured,” “investigated,” “determined,” “calculated,” and “obtained” are better.

✖ The absorbance of the solution was tested using…

✔︎ The absorbance of the solution was measured using…

Reference: www.chemistry.kenyon.edu/getzler/08F-CourseFiles/BriefGuideWritingChemistry

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Writing a Great General Chemistry Abstract

Infographic demonstrating the parts of an abstract:.

In the infographic below, we will break down the key parts of a general chemistry abstract and then critique a three examples of abstracts and figures. *Clicking the link will open the infographic in a new tab in your browser.*

CHE Abstracts Infographic

Tips for writing your own abstract:

• What question were your trying to answer?
• Now write it as a statement instead of a question
• Avoid using phrases like “In this experiment” or “The goal of this experiment was”
• It is often easiest to start by listing all the things you did in detail to perform the experiment (this should be written down in your lab notebook).
• Now get rid of some of the details. The specific amounts (masses, volumes, etc.) used and the types of glassware or other measuring devices are generally not important. You only want to report the most important information about doing this experiment. Remember that if you aren’t sure, you can ask your lab instructor or TA to give you feedback on this step.
• Finally, condense your most important details to 1-2 sentences written in past tense (remember this experiment is already over!)
• The key result should address the goal from step 1.
• If the key result is a number, be sure to give appropriate units and significant figures.
• Write the key result as a single sentence and remember to tie it directly to the goal of the experiment.
• What was the expected result? Is your result higher, lower, or about the same as the expected result?
• If your result is higher or lower than expected, what is one possible error which could cause your result to be either higher or lower than expected?
• Write one sentence stating your comparison of the result with the expected result and no more than one sentence explaining the possible error and how this error would lead to your particular result.
• In thinking about your key result, is there a particular set of data that you collected and analyzed to find this result? If so, this data should likely be included in your figure (often a graph). If you are struggling to think about what to include in your figure, run your ideas by your TA or instructor for feedback.
• Be sure to label all axes and data in the figure appropriately and with units (if applicable). Everything should be easy to see and read.
• Caption your figure explaining what data is being shown and briefly how this data connects to the key result. Figure captions should be about 1 sentence in length.

Some additional advice on Excel, making figures, and writing abstracts:

• Excel Tips (Click for general tips on using Excel)
• Using Excel A Tutorial (Click for a guided tutorial on how to create a table, perform calculations, and create a graph in Excel)
• How to make an effective figure (Advice from Dr. Wachter on making great figures)
• Writing Abstracts CHE 1XX (Advice from Dr. Wachter on writing a general chemistry abstract)

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Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

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Synthesis of Small Molecule Modulators of Non-Traditional Drug Targets , Jamie Nunziata

Synthetic Studies of Potential New Ketogenic Molecules , Mohammad Nazmus Sakib

Coupling Chemical and Genomic Data of Marine Sediment-Associated Bacteria for Metabolite Profiling , Stephanie P. Suarez

Enhanced Methods in Forensic Mass Spectrometry for Targeted and Untargeted Drug Analysis , Dina M. Swanson

Investigation of Challenging Transformations in Gold Catalysis , Qi Tang

Diazirines and Oxaziridines as Nitrogen Transfer Reagents in Drug Discovery , Khalilia C. Tillett

Developing New Strategy toward Ruthenium and Gold Redox Catalysis , Chenhuan Wang

Gold-Catalyzed Diyne-ene Cyclization: Synthesis of Hetero Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and 1,2-Dihydropyridines , Jingwen Wei

Development of Antiviral Peptidomimetics , Songyi Xue

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Investigating a Potential STING Modulator , Jaret J. Crews

Exploring the Structure and Activity of Metallo-Tetracyclines , Shahedul Islam

Metabolomic Analysis, Identification and Antimicrobial Assay of Two Mangrove Endophytes , Stephen Thompson

Bioactivity of Suberitenones A and B , Jared G. Waters

Developing Efficient Transition Metal Catalyzed C-C & C-X Bond Construction , Chiyu Wei

Measurement in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics Education: Student Explanations of Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms and Instructional Practices in Introductory Courses , Brandon J. Yik

Study on New Reactivity of Vinyl Gold and Its Sequential Transformations , Teng Yuan

Study on New Strategy toward Gold(I/III) Redox Catalysis , Shuyao Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Design, Synthesis and Testing of Bioactive Peptidomimetics , Sami Abdulkadir

Synthesis of Small Molecules for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases , Elena Bray

Social Constructivism in Chemistry Peer Leaders and Organic Chemistry Students , Aaron M. Clark

Synthesizing Laccol Based Polymers/Copolymers and Polyurethanes; Characterization and Their Applications , Imalka Marasinghe Arachchilage

The Photophysical Studies of Transition Metal Polyimines Encapsulated in Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF’s) , Jacob M. Mayers

Light Harvesting in Photoactive Guest-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks , Christopher R. McKeithan

Using Quantitative Methods to Investigate Student Attitudes Toward Chemistry: Women of Color Deserve the Spotlight , Guizella A. Rocabado Delgadillo

Simulations of H2 Sorption in Metal-Organic Frameworks , Shanelle Suepaul

Parallel Computation of Feynman Path Integrals and Many-Body Polarization with Application to Metal-Organic Materials , Brant H. Tudor

The Development of Bioactive Peptidomimetics Based on γ-AApeptides , Minghui Wang

Investigation of Immobilized Enzymes in Confined Environment of Mesoporous Host Matrices , Xiaoliang Wang

Novel Synthetic Ketogenic Compounds , Michael Scott Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Biosynthetic Gene Clusters, Microbiomes, and Secondary Metabolites in Cold Water Marine Organisms , Nicole Elizabeth Avalon

Differential Mobility Spectrometry-Mass spectrometry (DMS-MS) for Forensic and Nuclear-Forensic applications , Ifeoluwa Ayodeji

Conversion from Metal Oxide to MOF Thin Films as a Platform of Chemical Sensing , Meng Chen

Asking Why : Analyzing Students' Explanations of Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms using Lexical Analysis and Predictive Logistic Regression Models , Amber J. Dood

Development of Next-Generation, Fast, Accurate, Transferable, and Polarizable Force-fields for Heterogenous Material Simulations , Adam E. Hogan

Breakthroughs in Obtaining QM/MM Free Energies , Phillip S. Hudson

New Synthetic Methodology Using Base-Assisted Diazonium Salts Activation and Gold Redox Catalysis , Abiola Azeez Jimoh

Development and Application of Computational Models for Biochemical Systems , Fiona L. Kearns

Analyzing the Retention of Knowledge Among General Chemistry Students , James T. Kingsepp

A Chemical Investigation of Three Antarctic Tunicates of the Genus Synoicum , Sofia Kokkaliari

Construction of Giant 2D and 3D Metallo-Supramolecules Based on Pyrylium Salts Chemistry , Yiming Li

Assessing Many-Body van der Waals Contributions in Model Sorption Environments , Matthew K. Mostrom

Advancing Equity Amongst General Chemistry Students with Variable Preparations in Mathematics , Vanessa R. Ralph

Sustainable Non-Noble Metal based Catalysts for High Performance Oxygen Electrocatalysis , Swetha Ramani

The Role of aPKCs and aPKC Inhibitors in Cell Proliferation and Invasion in Breast and Ovarian Cancer , Tracess B. Smalley

Development of Ultrasonic-based Ambient Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry , Linxia Song

Covalent Organic Frameworks as an Organic Scaffold for Heterogeneous Catalysis including C-H Activation , Harsh Vardhan

Optimization of a Digital Ion Trap to Perform Isotope Ratio Analysis of Xenon for Planetary Studies , Timothy Vazquez

Multifunctional Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) For Applications in Sustainability , Gaurav Verma

Design, Synthesis of Axial Chiral Triazole , Jing Wang

The Development of AApeptides , Lulu Wei

Chemical Investigation of Floridian Mangrove Endophytes and Antarctic Marine Organisms , Bingjie Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

An Insight into the Biological Functions, the Molecular Mechanism and the Nature of Interactions of a Set of Biologically Important Proteins. , Adam A. Aboalroub

Functional Porous Materials: Applications for Environmental Sustainability , Briana Amaris Aguila

Biomimetic Light Harvesting in Metalloporphyrins Encapsulated/Incorporated within Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs). , Abdulaziz A. Alanazi

Design and Synthesis of Novel Agents for the Treatment of Tropical Diseases , Linda Corrinne Barbeto

Effect of Atypical protein kinase C inhibitor (DNDA) on Cell Proliferation and Migration of Lung Cancer Cells , Raja Reddy Bommareddy

The Activity and Structure of Cu2+ -Biomolecules in Disease and Disease Treatment , Darrell Cole Cerrato

Simulation and Software Development to Understand Interactions of Guest Molecules inPorous Materials , Douglas M. Franz

Construction of G-quadruplexes via Self-assembly: Enhanced Stability and Unique Properties , Ying He

The Role of Atypical Protein Kinase C in Colorectal Cancer Cells Carcinogenesis , S M Anisul Islam

Chemical Tools and Treatments for Neurological Disorders and Infectious Diseases , Andrea Lemus

Antarctic Deep Sea Coral and Tropical Fungal Endophyte: Novel Chemistry for Drug Discovery , Anne-Claire D. Limon

Constituent Partitioning Consensus Docking Models and Application in Drug Discovery , Rainer Metcalf

An Investigation into the Heterogeneity of Insect Arylalkylamine N -Acyltransferases , Brian G. O'Flynn

Evaluating the Evidence Base for Evidence-Based Instructional Practices in Chemistry through Meta-Analysis , Md Tawabur Rahman

Role of Oncogenic Protein Kinase C-iota in Melanoma Progression; A Study Based on Atypical Protein Kinase-C Inhibitors , Wishrawana Sarathi Bandara Ratnayake

Formulation to Application: Thermomechanical Characterization of Flexible Polyimides and The Improvement of Their Properties Via Chain Interaction , Alejandro Rivera Nicholls

The Chemical Ecology and Drug Discovery Potential of the Antarctic Red Alga Plocamium cartilagineum and the Antarctic Sponge Dendrilla membranosa , Andrew Jason Shilling

Synthesis, Discovery and Delivery of Therapeutic Natural Products and Analogs , Zachary P. Shultz

Development of α-AA peptides as Peptidomimetics for Antimicrobial Therapeutics and The Discovery of Nanostructures , Sylvia E. Singh

Self-Assembly of 2D and 3D Metallo-Supramolecules with Increasing Complexity , Bo Song

The Potential of Marine Microbes, Flora and Fauna in Drug Discovery , Santana Alexa Lavonia Thomas

Design, Synthesis, and Self-Assembly of Supramolecular Fractals Based on Terpyridine with Different Transition Metal Ions , Lei Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Fatty Acid Amides and Their Biosynthetic Enzymes Found in Insect Model Systems , Ryan L. Anderson

Interrogation of Protein Function with Peptidomimetics , Olapeju Bolarinwa

Characterization of Nylon-12 in a Novel Additive Manufacturing Technology, and the Rheological and Spectroscopic Analysis of PEG-Starch Matrix Interactions , Garrett Michael Craft

Synthesis of Novel Agents for the treatment of Infectious and Neurodegenerative diseases , Benjamin Joe Eduful

Survey research in postsecondary chemistry education: Measurements of faculty members’ instructional practice and students’ affect , Rebecca E. Gibbons

Design, Synthesis, Application of Biodegradable Polymers , Mussie Gide

Conformational Fluctuations of Biomolecules Studied Using Molecular Dynamics and Enhanced Sampling , Geoffrey M. Gray

Analysis and New Applications of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF): Thermal Conductivity of a Perovskite-type MOF and Incorporation of a Lewis Pair into a MOF. , Wilarachchige D C B Gunatilleke

Chemical Investigation of Bioactive Marine Extracts , Selam Hagos

Optimizing Peptide Fractionation to Maximize Content in Cancer Proteomics , Victoria Izumi

Germania-based Sol-gel Coatings and Core-shell Particles in Chromatographic Separations , Chengliang Jiang

Synthesis, Modification, Characterization and Processing of Molded and Electrospun Thermoplastic Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites , Tamalia Julien

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Home > Chemistry > Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

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Department of chemistry: dissertations, theses, and student research.

Halide Exchange and Transport in Halide Perovskite Lattices , Temban Acha Billy

Synthesis and Study of High-Spin Stable Organic Radicals for Electrical Conductors and Mannosamine Nitroxide for MRI Contrast Agents , Shuyang Zhang

Designing Experiments: The Impact of Peer Review Structure on Organic Chemistry Students' Experimental Designs , Katie Patterson

Study of halide gradient formation via solution-solid halide exchange in crystalline CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 thin films , Behnaz Akbari

Oxygen Binding Thermodynamics of Human Hemoglobin in the Red Blood Cell , Kyle K. Hill

Developing Techniques for the Identification of Non-Canonical RNA Pairing and Analysis of LC-MS Datasets , Christopher Jurich

Surface Functionalization of Elastomers for Tunable Crystal Growth and Smart Adhesives , John Kapitan

Issue of False Amphetamine Field Test Positives Caused By Sugar. Use of Baeyer Test as a Secondary Test Solution. , Reed A. Knutson, Jennah Duncan, Kara Peightal, and Samuel Thomas

Harnessing Surface Chemistry and Instabilities in Silicone Elastomers to Synthesize Adaptive Systems with Mechanically Tunable Surface Properties and Functionality , Ali Jamal Mazaltarim

How Oxygen-Binding Affects Structural Evolution of Even-Sized Gold Anion Clusters. (Size Range 20 to 34) , David Brunken-Deibert

Analysis of Hydroxychloroquine Interaction with Serum Proteins by High Performance Affinity Chromatography , Kyungah Suh, Sadia Sharmeen, and David S. Hage

The Application and Development of Metabolomics Methodologies for the Profiling of Food and Cellular Toxicity , Jade Woods

Evaluation of the Overall Binding of Acetohexamide and Tolbutamide with Methyl Glyoxal-Modified HSA by High-Performance Affinity Chromatography , Ashley G. Woolfork and David S. Hage

C(sp2)-C(sp3) Cross-Coupling of Aryl Halides and Active C(sp3)-H Bonds via Dual Catalysis: Organic Photocatalysis/Nickel Redox Catalysis , Nicholas Armada

Phosphonate-Directed Catalytic Asymmetric Hydroboration: Synthesis of Functionalized Chiral Secondary and Tertiary Boronic Esters and Mechanistic Insights , Suman Chakrabarty

COMPUTATIONAL STUDIES OF THERMAL PROPERTIES AND DESALINATION PERFORMANCE OF LOW-DIMENSIONAL MATERIALS , Yang Hong

QUANTUM CHEMICAL CALCULATIONS APPLIED TO SOMO-HOMO CONVERSION AND VIBRATIONALLY AVERAGED NMR SHIELDING PARAMETERS , Erik Johnson

Design and Synthesis of Stable Aminyl and Nitroxide Radical Precursors , Joshua Bryan Lovell

Development of Nanomaterial Supports for the Study of Affinity-Based Analytes Using Ultra-Thin Layer Chromatography , Allegra Pekarek

ANALYSIS OF DRUG-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS DURING DIABETES BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY , Pingyang Tao

Electropolymerization and Characterization of Thin Film Dielectrics , Christopher White II

Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Activity of Copper Palladium Oxide Solid Solutions. , Gregory L. Christensen

GLOBAL MINIMUM SEARCH AND CARBON MONOXIDE BINDING STUDIES OF NOVEL GOLD NANOCLUSTERS , Navneet S. Khetrapal

Mass Spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in the Chemometric Analysis of Cellular Metabolism , Eli Riekeberg

Ultrafast Affinity Extraction and High-Performance Affinity Chromatography Applications for Measuring Free Drug Fractions: Interactions of Sulfonylurea Drugs with Normal and Glycated Human Serum Albumin , Bao Yang

DEVELOPMENT OF ENTRAPMENT COLUMNS FOR THE STUDY OF AFFINITY BASED ANALYSIS OF DRUG-PROTEIN INTERACTIONS , Shiden T. Azaria

Chemical Vapor Deposition of Two-Dimensional Materials and Heterostructures , Alex J. Boson

Bioinformatic and Biophysical Analyses of Proteins , Jonathan Catazaro

Developing Functionalized Peroxide Precursors for the Synthesis of Cyclic and Spirocyclic Ethers , Anna J. Diepenbrock

Decarboxylative Elimination for the Systhesis of Olefins Via Photoredox/Cobalt Dual Catalysis , Renjie Gui

Enantioselective γ- and δ -Borylation of Unsaturated Carbonyl Derivatives: Synthesis, Mechanistic Insights, and Applications. , Gia L. Hoang

Entrapment of proteins in high-performance affinity columns for chromatographic studies of drug-protein interactions , Saumen Poddar, Elliott Rodriguez, Shiden Azaria, and David S. Hage

Genetic Code Expansion in Biochemical Investigations and Biomedical Applications , Nanxi Wang

Applying the Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Characterize STEM Faculty Attending Professional Development Programs , Dihua Xue

Who is attending pedagogical workshops? Applying the Innovation Diffusion to Characterize Faculty Attendees , Victoria Dihua Xue, Trisha Vickrey, and Marilyne Stains

Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Protein Biosensor for Nitric Oxide , Wenjia Zhai

STUDIES IN DIRECTED CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC HYDROBORATION OF 1,2-DISUBSTITUTED UNSATURATED AMIDE , Shuyang Zhang

Synthesis and Applications of Cyclobutenes , Benjamin Enns

Binding of Oxygen to Human Hemoglobin Within the Erythrocyte Using ICAM Spectrophotometry , Kyle K. Hill

Design and Synthesis of Novel Octacarboxy Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Frameworks , Jacob A. Johnson

Development of a Direct Activity Probe for Rho-Associated Protein Kinase , Maia Kelly

Thermolysis of Hypervalent Iodine Complexes: Synthesis of Fluorinated Radiotracers for Positron Emission Tomography and Synthesis of Quaternary α-Alkyl α-Aryl Amino Acids , Jayson J. Kempinger

Synthesis and Applications of Lanthanide Sulfides and Oxides , Christopher Marin

SELECTIVE IODINATION USING DIARYLIODONIUM SALTS , William H. Miller IV

MOLECULAR MECHANISM FOR THE BIOSYNTHESIS AND REGULATION OF SECONDARY METABOLITES IN LYSOBACTER , Simon Tesfamichael Tombosa

STUDIES IN ASYMMETRIC CATALYSIS: SUPRAMOLECULAR CATALYSIS AND BORANE-ASSISTED HYDROGENATION , Kazuya Toyama

Molecular Mechanism for the Biosynthesis of Antifungal HSAF and Antibacterial WAP-8294A2 , Haotong Chen

Toward the Probing of DHQS Activity by Protein Engineering through the Introduction of Unnatural Amino Acids and the Selection of tRNA/tRNA Synthetase Pairs , Shaina E. Ives

Toward an Expanded Role for Collision-Induced Dissociation in Glycoproteomic Analysis , Venkata Kolli

New Methods for Synthesis of Organic Peroxides and Application of Peroxide Electrophiles to Synthesis of Functionalized Ethers , Shiva Kumar Kyasa

Chromatographic Analysis of Drug-Protein Interactions During Diabetes and Characterization of Human Serum Albumin Through Multidimensional Mass Spectrometry , Ryan E. Matsuda

THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCAFFOLDS OF GRAPHENE, CARBON NANOTUBES AND TRANSITION-METAL OXIDES FOR APPLICATIONS IN ELECTRONICS, SENSORS AND ENERGY STORAGE , Gilbert N. Mbah

TOWARD THE MEASUREMENT OF BIODISTRIBUTION OF 18 F-LABELED INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS WITH POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY (PET) , Katelyenn S. McCauley

Investigations into the Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogen-Host Interactions: Construction of a Dual Plasmid System for Incorporation of Unnatural Amino Acids into Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 , Scotty D. Raber

Applications of High Performance Affinity Chromatography with High Capacity Stationary Phases Made by Entrapment , John A. Vargas Badilla

Uses of Diaryliodonium Salts and Methods for their Synthesis , Jordan M. Veness

The intersection of nuclear magnetic resonance and quantum chemistry , Yali Wang

Chemometric and Bioinformatic Analyses of Cellular Biochemistry , Bradley Worley

Analysis of Free Solute Fractions and Solute-Protein Interactions Using Ultrafast Affinity Extraction and Affinity Microcolumns , Xiwei Zheng

The 8-Silyloxyquinoline Scaffold as a Versatile Platform for the Sensitive Detection of Aqueous Fluoride , Xinqi Zhou

Nanostructured Cerium Oxide Based Catalysts: Synthesis, Physical Properties, and Catalytic Performance , Yunyun Zhou

Hydrolytically Stable Analogues of Sugar Phosphates and a Miniaturized in Situ Enzymatic Screen , Xiang Fei

Development and Application of Combined Quantum Mechanical and Molecular Mechanical Methods , Rui Lai

Syntheses of Aminyl Diradicals and Nitroxide Tetra- and Octaradicals , Arnon Olankitwanit

Analysis of Drug Interactions with Lipoproteins by High Performance Affinity Chromatography , Matthew R. Sobansky

Studies in Asymmetric Synthesis: Supramolecular Catalysis, C-H Activation, and D-Cycloserine Synthesis , Nathan C. Thacker

Application of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Based Metabolomics to Study the Central Metabolism of Staphylococci , Bo Zhang

IMPLEMENTATION AND APPLICATION OF THE MMFF94 FORCE FIELD , Hongbo Zhu

The Electrochemical Analysis of Bovine Bone Derived Supercapacitors, Organic Peroxide Explosives, and Conducting Polymer Nanojunctions , Paul Goodman

The Development and Applications of NMR Metabolomics Analysis of Bacterial Metabolomes , Steven M. Halouska

Utilizing NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Docking as Tools for the Structural Determination and Functional Annotation of Proteins , Jaime Stark

A. Catalysis of CO-PROX by Water-Soluble Rhodium Fluorinated Porphyrins B. Studies toward Fluorination of Electron Rich Aromatics by Nucleophilic Fluoride , Shri Harsha Uppaluri

Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Lysobacter enzymogenes : Studies of Intercellular and Intracellular Signaling , Stephen J. Wright

DIRECTED CATALYTIC ASYMMETRIC HYDROBORATION OF 1,1-DISUBSTITUTED ALKENES , Mohammad Odeh Bani Khaled

I. Synthesis of β-Sitosterol and Phytosterol Esters; II. New Methodology for Singlet Oxygen Generation from 1,1-Dihydroperoxides , Jiliang Hang

Experimental and Theoretical Studies in Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance , Monica N. Kinde

Experimental and Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance , John D. Persons

RHODIUM-CATALYZED HYDROBORATION OF 1,1-DISUBSTITUTED ALKENES , Scott A. Pettibone

INVESTIGATIONS OF INTER- AND INTRAMOLECULAR C-O BOND FORMING REACTIONS OF PEROXIDE ELECTROPHILES , Benjamin W. Puffer

The Use of Rhenium (VII) Oxide as a Catalyst for the Substution of Hemiacetals , Michael W. Richardson

Characterization of Novel Macrocyclic Polyether Modified Pseudostationary Phases for use in Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography and Development of a Chemiluminescence Presumptive Assay for Peroxide-based Explosives , Raychelle Burks

Preparation and Characterization of Biomimetic Hydroxyapatite-Resorbable Polymer Composites for Hard Tissue Repair , Kristopher R. Hiebner

High Yield Synthesis of Positron Emission Tomography Ligands for Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Imaging , Saraanne E. Hitchcock

Optimization and Implementation of Entrapment: A Novel Immobilization Technique for High-performance Affinity Chromatography , Abby J. Jackson

Fabrication and Catalytic Property of Cerium Oxide Nanomaterials , Keren Jiang

Affinity Chromatography in Environmental Analysis and Drug-Protein Interaction Studies , Efthimia Papastavros

Development and Optimization of Organic Based Monoliths for Use in Affinity Chromatography , Erika L. Pfaunmiller

I. An Improved Procedure for Alkene Ozonolysis. II. Exploring a New Structural Paradigm for Peroxide Antimalarials. , Charles Edward Schiaffo

QUANTUM MECHANICAL AND MOLECULAR MECHANICAL STUDY OF SOLVENT EFFECTS , Dejun Si

Resorbable Polymer-Hydroxyapatite Composites for Bone Trauma Treatment: Synthesis and Properties , Troy E. Wiegand

PURIFICATION OF LYSINE DECARBOXYLASE: A MODEL SYSTEM FOR PLP ENZYME INHIBITOR DEVELOPMENT AND STUDY , Leah C. Zohner

Characterization of Glycation Sites on Human Serum Albumin using Mass Spectrometry , Omar S. Barnaby

HIGH TEMPERATURE RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS: SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND APPLICATIONS IN DEVICE FABRICATION , Joseph R. Brewer

Classification, Synthesis and Characterization of Pyridyl Porphyrin Frameworks , Lucas D. DeVries

Ultrasonic Activation of Triacetone Triperoxide , LaTravia R. Dobson

Characteristics and Stability of Oxide Films on Plutonium Surfaces , Harry Guillermo García Flores

Controlling Reductive Elimination From Novel I(III) Salts Using a SECURE Method , Joseph W. Graskemper

I. A NEW SYNTHETIC APPROACH TO THE SYNTHESIS OF N-(PHOSPHONOACETYL)-L-ORNITHINE, II. THE INFLUENCE OF PYRIDINE ON THE OZONOLYSIS OF ALKENES , Bradley M. Johnson

Chromatographic Studies of Drug-Protein Binding in Diabetes , Kathryn (Krina) S. Joseph

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Chemistry is a branch of science that involves the study of the composition, structure and properties of matter. Often known as the central science, it is a creative discipline chiefly concerned with atomic and molecular structure and its change, for instance through chemical reactions.

Palladium(0) complexes stabilized by anionic aluminium ligands

Palladium can be stabilized in the zero-oxidation state with one, two or three anionic aluminium ligands to produce mono-, di- or trianionic complexes, respectively. The palladium centres in the resulting complexes are highly negatively charged, and this electron richness enables the trianionic complex to undergo a hitherto hypothetical oxidative addition reaction with a diboron species.

Metal-free catalysts for hydrogenation

Ethylene feedstocks must be ultrapure for plastics production, but metal-based catalysts used for acetylene removal are limited by cost, scarcity and durability. Now, electrochemical studies demonstrate that 2-thiolimidazole exceeds the efficiency of traditional metal-based catalysts with remarkable selectivity and conversion rates.

• Quanbin Dai

Layered self-pillared zeolites convert polyethylene to gasoline

State-of-the-art plastic deconstruction technologies typically require noble metals, consume hydrogen gas, and generate waste methane. Now it has been shown that earth-abundant layered self-pillared zeolite catalysts selectively convert polyethylene to high-octane products without requiring molecular hydrogen.

• Chris Torres
• Julie E. Rorrer

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Efficient and promising oxidative desulfurization of fuel using Fenton like deep eutectic solvent

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Redox dynamics and surface structures of an active palladium catalyst during methane oxidation

Palladium-based catalysts are highly effective for the complete oxidation of methane. Here, the authors employ operando transmission electron microscopy, near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations to investigate the active state and catalytic function of Pd nanoparticles in methane oxidation.

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Efficient intersystem crossing and tunable ultralong organic room-temperature phosphorescence via doping polyvinylpyrrolidone with polyaromatic hydrocarbons

Room temperature phosphorescent polymers have potential in a range of applications, but achieving the desired properties can be challenging. Here, the authors report the development of such polymer materials by doping with polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

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Concentrated solar CO 2 reduction in H 2 O vapour with >1% energy conversion efficiency

This work reports a single-atom Ni incorporated CeO 2 catalyst that boosts the efficiency of solar CO 2 reduction under concentrated light irradiation.

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Insight into selectivity of photocatalytic methane oxidation to formaldehyde on tungsten trioxide

Tungsten trioxide (WO 3 ) is considered the most promising photocatalyst for the highly selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde, though the origins of its catalytic activity and reaction mechanism are still debated. Here, the authors use WO 3 with {001} and {110} facets as model photocatalysts, demonstrating that the photocatalytic oxidation of methane to formaldehyde in WO 3 depends on the surface structure, leading to different formaldehyde selectivity.

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