Journal of Undergraduate Research

Lily H. Carlson, Prof. Daniel H. Ess, Chemistry Department Our group is interested in identifying the unknown mechanisms of main-group C-H functionalization reactions. In the long term, our goal is to use computational chemistry tools to develop general principles on mechanisms, intermediates, reactivity, and selectivity for hydrocarbon C-H functionalization reactions by p-block main-group compounds as well […]

Millicent Campbell, David Michaelis, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Enzymes found in nature are more efficient catalysts than those used in organic chemistry labs. However, natural enzymes are not ideal for organic synthesis because they only make one product and only work in specific conditions. The Michaelis lab designed a catalyst capable of mimicking enzyme-like reactivity […]

James Coombs, Daniel Ess, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction Heterodinuclear compounds containing a metal–metal bond represent a potentially useful subclass of catalyst in organic synthesis. Heterodinuclear compounds offer the possibility of increased reactivity due to interactions between metal centers (Scheme 1A). These so-called cooperative effects can enhance reactivity by changing the electronic density, increasing […]

Brian Hilton and Dr. Paul Savage, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Antimicrobial resistance has increasingly become a global concern. The World Health Organization classified antimicrobial resistance as a “serious threat [that] is no longer a prediction for the future, it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to […]

Samuel Garrard and Dr. Kenneth Christensen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction: Pathological angiogenesis, or new blood vessel formation, is required for the progression of many diseases, including cancer, macular degeneration, and many other pathologies. Effective inhibition of angiogenesis would greatly augment current treatments for both cancer and eye disease. Previous research has implicated CMG2 […]

Nathan Keyes and Dr. John Price, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Abstract Calorie restriction is of prime importance to age related physiology and pathophysiology. It is well established that calorie restriction extends lifetime, however the full mechanism of why this happens is not completely understood. In this study, we attempted to gather kinetic proteomic data […]

Tania Nance and Dr. Paul Savage, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction About 50 million patients worldwide are intubated annually with endotracheal tubing to open the airway, to deliver oxygen, medicine or anesthesia, to support breathing, to remove blockages from the airway and to protect the lungs from aspiration. Along with their medical uses, they […]

Lily Carlson and Dr. Daniel Ess, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Computational studies are critical to the field of organometallic chemistry since many highly reactive and unstable compounds cannot be isolated or observed experimentally. It is well-known that many organometallic reaction mechanisms involve spin intersystem crossing, e.g. singlet to triplet conversion. To estimate the rate […]

Alexander Farnsworth and Dr. Jennifer Nielson, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction For several years Dr. Jennifer Nielson has conducted research with her BYU team in Kampala and in Mbarara, Uganda. The research focuses on teaching chemistry concepts using simple experiments in Learning Chemistry through Experimentation workshops. Chemistry education in Uganda has generally consisted mostly […]

Nathan Wohlgemuth and Dr. Dan Ess, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Introduction Organic and organometallic reactions are generally assumed to follow statistical mechanical models of reactivity and selectivity that correspond to transition state theory. However, in recent years there have been several organic reactions that have been shown to be controlled by post-transition state reaction […]