LVC Chemistry News
LVC Students and Faculty Publish Three Papers in Spring, 2010
In spring 2010, peer-reviewed scientific journals accepted for publication three manuscripts from research groups within the LVC chemistry department.
The first paper, co-authored by Carrie Kauffman, Amanda Muza, Michael Porambo, and Professor Andy Marsh has been published in The Chemical Educator. The paper, which is entitled "Use of a Commercial Silver-Silver Chloride Electrode for the Measurement of Cell Potentials to Determine Mean Ionic Activity Coefficients," describes an enhancement of a classic experiment in the physical chemistry laboratory. The abstract of the paper can be viewed at: TCE Paper. Carrie Kauffman ('08) and Mike Porambo ('09) are currently students in a PhD program in physical chemistry, both at the University of Illinois. Amanda Muza ('08) is a chemist at Lancaster Laboratories, Inc.
The second paper, entitled "Activation of Fmoc-Protected N,O-Acetals Using Trimethylsilyl Halides: Mechanistic and Synthetic Studies," was written by Nicholas Boaz, Nathaniel Bair, Thanh Le, and Professor Timothy Peelen, and is published in the Organic Letters. The abstract of this paper can be viewed at: Organic Letters Paper. Nick Boaz ('10) has entered a PhD program in organic chemistry at Princeton University, Nate Bair ('09) is in a PhD program in organic chemistry at The Johns Hopkins University, and Thanh Le ('10) is entering medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
The third paper, accepted for publication in the journal Applied Catalysis A and entitled "Factors Affecting Activity and Selectivity during Cyclohexanone Hydrogenation with Colloidal Platinum Nanocatalysts," was written by Kimberly A Manbeck, Nathan E Musselwhite, Lindsay M Carl, Carrie A Kauffman, Oliver D Lyons, Jason K Navin; and Professor Andy Marsh. The abstract for the paper can be viewed at: Applied Catalysis A Paper. Kim Manbeck ('10) has entered a PhD program in physical chemistry at the University of Rochester, Jason Navin ('08) is in a PhD program in physical chemistry at the University of Virginia, and Carrie Kauffman ('08) is at Illinois as stated earlier. All of the other authors are current undergraduates at LVC.
Marsh Research Group Presents at March 2010 ACS Meeting in San Francisco
Professor Andy Marsh and five LVC students presented their work at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in late March. Kim Manbeck '10 (picture at right) and Nate Musselwhite '11 presented their NSF-supported studies 
of aqueous phase catalysis by colloidal platinum nanocatalysts at the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry poster session. Mike Schmidt '11, also at the same session, presented his research on a Merck/AAAS sponsored project in collaboration with Courtney Lappas from Biology.
Ellen Adams '10 and Heather Howard '11 presented their posters during the Recent Advances in Experimental and Observational Astrochemistry poster session sponsored by the Division of Physical Chemistry. Ellen's poster was on the research she performed at LVC on a project funded by Research Corporation, whereas Heather's poster was on work she undertook as a summer intern at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Heather's poster, "Photolytic Reactions in Ices Relevant to Triton," won a top paper award in the Division of Physical Chemistry. To help support the trip, the students applied for and received competitive travel awards from ACS Student Affiliates and the Southeastern PA ACS Section. Papers with titles and authors can be viewed at: Talks.
NSF Awards $144K to LVC to Study Synthesis of Unnatural Amino Acids
Dr. Timothy Peelen of the LVC chemistry department has been awarded a three-year grant of $144,374 to allow his research group to study new methods for the synthesis of unnatural, Fmoc-protected amino acids. The project, Synthesis of Unnatural Amino Acids using Fmoc-protected N,O-Acetals, is supported by the National Science Foundation as part of their Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) Program. The grant will provide funds for summer salaries of undergraduate chemistry students working on the project here at Lebanon Valley College, as well as funds for new equipment and funds for student and faculty travel to scientific meetings to present their findings.
The Peelen group from summer 2009 is shown at the left: (left to right) Adam Shipe, Colleen O’Neill, Dr. Peelen, Brandon Parks, Matt Kartzman, Mark Thomas, Nick Boaz.
The Peelen lab is exploring the synthesis of unnatural amino acids. Amino acids are the primary components of proteins and peptides, and amino acids containing unnatural sidechains or alternative backbone configurations allow chemists to engineer unnatural, protein-like oligomers with properties not found in their natural counterparts. The synthetic approaches in this project target more efficient routes for making the unnatural amino acid building blocks in an environmentally friendly manner. An abstract of the project is provided: Grant Proposal Abstract
Marsh Lab Publishes 2010 Paper in J. Phys. Chem. C
Michael Porambo ('09), Heather Howard ('10), and Professor Andy Marsh published a paper in the Journal of Physical Chemistry entitled: "Dopant Effects on the Photocatalytic Activity of Colloidal Zinc Sulfide Semiconductor Nanocrystals for the Oxidation of 2-Chlorophenol. The Marsh group synthesized colloidal zinc sulfide nanocrystals that were doped with small amounts of Mn(II) ion and stabilized by a PVP polymeric capping agent. The nanocrystals so produced catalyze the photocatalytic degradation of aqueous chlorophenols, which are priority
pollutants. Porambo and Howard studied both the luminescent and catalytic properties of the doped nanocrystals, finding that the presence of the dopant ion alters the electronic state of the nanocrystals, which, in turn, affects the photocatalytic properties of the colloidal nanocrystals. Their work further suggests that the reaction mechanism involves a reactive oxygen species such as superoxide. The figure at the right shows the linkage between light absorption by the nanocrystals and production of the reactive superoxide. The abstract can be viewed at J. Phys. Chem.
Mike Porambo graduated in May, 2009 and is currently in a PhD program in physical chemistry at the University of Illinois. Heather Howard is a junior chemistry major at LVC.
Professor Dahlberg Presents and Teaches at Eastern Analytical Symposium (Nov, 2009)
Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Don Dahlberg presented two single-author papers and taught one short course at the Eastern Analytical Symposium, held at Somerset, NJ on November 16-19. Don's papers were entitled: "Using General Least Squares Weightings to Maximize Signal-to-Noise in Chemometric Applications," and "Introduction to Chemometrics for Forensic Science." Don's eight-hour short course was entitled "Chemometrics Without Equations (or Hardly Any)." The EAS is an established national symposium dealing with all areas of analytical chemistry.
Since his sabbatical leave in 1988 at the University of Washington where he worked with a leading chemometrician, Don Dahlberg has gained national recognition for his work in the field of chemometrics, which is the application of matrix-based multivariate statistics to problems and analyses in chemistry. While the mathematics behind chemometrics can be daunting, Don has found ways to make the tools of chemometrics accessible to working chemists. Don has taught short courses at national meetings across the country.
LVC Students Present Research in Baltimore (October 2009)
Thirteen LVC research students in chemistry and biochemistry travelled to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) on Saturday, October 10 to present the results of their research projects. 
Accompanied by Professors Tim Peelen and Wally Patton, the students made a total of nine presentations at the 12th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences.
The UMBC conference, a prestigious annual showcase for undergraduate research in the chemical and biological sciences, is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The 2009 conference drew 192 student papers from over 40 colleges and universities in eight mid-Atlantic states. The 2009 symposium also featured an address by Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel laureate in chemistry
All papers were heard by panels of judges who awarded prizes for the best research presentations. LVC students fared well at the event, winning three first place and two second place awards. The student authors and titles of the LVC presentations can be viewed at Student Presentations.
Thomas Gordon '07 and Professor Marsh Publish Research in Catalysis Letters (October, 2009)
Tom Gordon (LVC class of 
2007) and Professor Andy Marsh have published a paper, "Temperature Dependence of the Oxidation of 2-Chlorophenol by Hydrogen Peroxide in the Presence of Goethite," in the journal Catalysis Letters, published by Springer. The experimental work, carried out in the Marsh research laboratory at Lebanon Valley College, studied the ability of a common mineral, goethite, to catalyze the oxidation of 2-chlorophenol, a toxic organic pollutant found in wastewater streams. Goethite, FeO(OH), is an iron bearing oxide mineral found in soil. Gordon and Marsh studied the kinetics of the catalytic reaction over a temperature range, elucidating detailed mechanistic steps in the catalysis. Tom Gordon is currently completing a PhD program in Materials Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Abstract of article may be viewed at: Gordon, Marsh Article.
Jason Navin '08 and Professor Andy Marsh Publish Research in Analytical Chemistry
Jason Navin (LVC class of 2008), Professor Andy Marsh, and two collaborators from the University of California, Berkeley have published a paper, "Characterization of Colloidal Platinum Nanoparticles by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry," in the journal Analytical Chemistry. The experimental work, the bulk of which was carried out in the Marsh research laboratory at Lebanon Valley College, demonstrates the ability of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to determine the size distribution of colloidal platinum nanoparticles synthesized in the 1-4 nanometer size range. Navin and Marsh developed a model for determining the size of the metallic nanoparticle core from MALDI mass spectral data and have verified the model through correlation with particle sizes from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and from X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements taken at Berkeley. The findings clearly indicate the usefulness of MALDI mass spectrometry in the field of nanotechnology as a technique for fully characterizing nanoscale materials in order to elucidate structure-property relationships. Abstract of article may be viewed at: Analytical Chemistry Article.
Jason Navin graduated from Lebanon Valley College as a chemistry major in May, 2008 and is now enrolled in a PhD program in physical chemistry at the University of Virginia. Jason had worked on research with Andy Marsh for three full summers and for six academic semesters.
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