An article reporting results of an experiment conducted by students in CHEM 481: Advanced Experimental Laboratory, with assistance from Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty member Dr. Allan Jay Cardenas, has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Molecular Structure.
“Brooker’s Merocyanine: Comparison of Single Crystal Structures” examined Brooker’s merocyanine and its derivatives. While merocyanine is a well-studied compound in solution, there are numerous opportunities to study the solid state properties of merocyanine.
The student contingent included three current senior Chemistry majors – Kathleen Hayes, of Avon, N.Y; Emily Lasher, Niagara Falls; and Jack Choczynski, Buffalo – along with Ralph Crisci, Chemistry, Commack; Joseph Dragonette, Chemistry, Orchard Park; Calvin Wong, Biology, Middletown and Joshua Deschner, Chemistry.
Encouragement from Matthew Fountain, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, to incorporate research into classroom instruction made the experiment possible, Dr. Cardenas said. Assistance to prepare the experiment was provided by Rachael Lesher, a lab coordinator.
Considered an interesting organic molecule because it changes color depending in its environment, merocyanine has a wide application in material science, dyes and pigment chemistry. Solvents play a big role in determining the color of merocyanine dye, so students targeted recrystallization of merocyanine using different solvents, hoping that the solution property is also reflected in the solid state, Cardenas explained.
“The structure we reported will give more insights on how the solvent coordination favors one resonance form to the other in the solid state, hence affecting the color,” Cardenas said.
The article can be seen at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022286018301960.
Three students – Ms. Lasher, Ms. Hayes and Mr. Choczynski – plan to enter doctoral programs in chemistry this fall. Mr. Wong, who received his degree in Interdisciplinary Studies: Exercise Science in 2017, is a graduate student at Fredonia. Messrs. Crisci and Deschner were awarded degrees in Chemistry in 2017.
