Honorable Mention!
An Investigation of Porphyrin Macrocycles With and Without Coordinated Organic Substituents in Aqueous Media by UV-Visible and Emission Spectroscopy, Portillo, Carmen; Ramirez, Kevin
College of Science and Mathematics
Professor: Dr. Eric Van Caemelbecke
The objective of this senior seminar experiment was to observe the increase fluorescence lifetime of various sample solutions of porphyrin when factors such as concentration, pH and solvent are manipulated. The Shimadzu Spectrofluorophotometer is a new instrument acquired by the Houston Baptist University Chemistry Department through Welch Foundation Funding and was primarily used during this study. After acquiring many spectrums and placing various solutions under analysis, it was determined that the properties that enhanced the yield of a solution were those external factors that were manipulated such as the pH of the solution, and the presence of quinine; and the molecular structure of the compound under study. Further examination is recommended in order to determine the factors than contribute to the increase in quantum yield of the solution of quinine and porphyrin.
