At this site, students from the YSA/SEED Summer Research Internships for High School Students at Georgia College & State University can keep a dail log of their progress in the lab, program, and general feelings about research and the scientific process.
Rules: no obscenities; honest opinions; evidence-driven conclusions.
Have fun!
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Are you new or returning participant? How was your first day at the Summer Research Program? ? What was it like?
ReplyDeleteThis is my third summer participating in the Project SEED program. My first day was fun...and scary. We received our first individual presentation assignments. Mine was more difficult than I thought it would be but I am making pogress. Today, we we all presented our informaton that we gathered (with he exception of ProThug J Squiggles) and pretty much all got hammered. I think we are just rusty with our presentation skills. Then, we watched a hilarious lab safety video and took notes about porphyrins. Anyway, I'm excited to work in the lab tomorrow. It is the best part of the program for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe first day was very uneventful, and even a little boring. However, I have done the program before, so the first day is the same, kinda like the first day back to school. I did not learn any new materials until after we started working on our power point presentations. I did enjoy leaving (to some extent) earlier then normal...
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ReplyDeleteI'm a returning participant at the YSA program. This is my second year at the program and I'm happy to be back. Today, I learned that Ka and pKa are difficult to understand, but as time flies by and I get to do more research on it, I believe that my peers and I can fully comprehend the concept of acid-base chemistry, even if it looks like Chinese to us right now.
ReplyDeleteToday, we finally got to work in the labs. We jumped right on the motor and started working on our assignments, I produced a new batch of NaOH to deprotonate my porphyrin from last year that I also gave to Jah~Wann. This shows that we are not really working as individuals, but rather a team of science-minded teens.
ReplyDeleteWhat was your first week like? Comment on what you liked, what you didn't like, your fears and what you are excited about!
ReplyDeleteMy first week was rough but exciting! The students are bright, energetic, interested in science!! One is a graduating senior, and three are entering 11th grade. All are male: two are African-American, one Caucasian, and one Asian-American. They are very team-oriented and work well together. I am pushing the theory of porphyrins this year: Gouterman's Four Orbital Models (MOs), Ka/pKa, metal-ligand interactions, MLCT and LMCT, etc. I am pushing them even harder this year because 3 are returning students and have to learn the chemistry associated with the science that they are doing. They have done introductory work over the past 3-years and it is time to kick it up a notch. WELCOME TO CHEMISTRY FROM HELLLLL!!! HA HA HA HAHAAAA!!!
ReplyDeleteI was very excited to finally hit the lab yesterday. Although necessary to learn, the chemistry behind our work tends to get tedious and long, so I was glad that I got to perform experimentations yesterday. I refluxed my Ni(II) porphyrin in thionyl chloride for 4 hours. Unfortunately, there wasn't a significant shift of the Soret band on the absorption spectra, but there was a tiny "bump" around the 450 nm mark. This is very promising. I will continue lab work on Monday. As for the first week of the Project SEED program, it was essentially what I expected. Learning difficult chemistry and lab work fillled the week. My fear is that I won't successfully complete my project this year. It has been two years; this may not seem long in the science world, but it seems like forever to me. Can't wait to get deep into my methods...
ReplyDeleteThe first week of YSA was relatively interesting... After the first day, things kinda improved. There was so much research we had to do... My brain hearts just thinking about! However, learning so much on my porphyrins is refreshing; there is still a lot to learn about these complexes... I was glad to kinda get into the lab to do a bit of mixing, and taking a spectra was a bit nostalgic... I can't wait until next week...
ReplyDeleteToday, my individual powerpoint presentation quickly transformed into a group discussion over acid-base chemistry discussion because I could not fully comprehend the concept of it. After all the discussion this morning, I still am amazed by how deep the topic of acid-base chemistry gets. I have much to learn...
ReplyDeleteToday has been filled with headache-causing chemistry. We have been learning about the kinetics of chemistry and all about how the acid dissociation equation and Henderson-Hasslebach theory relates to the research that we are curently undertaking. Also, I have been trying to figure out what route to take next concerning my research. Still waiting to work in the lab a bit...
ReplyDeleteI had a great day with the program yesterday because I finally feel like I'm starting to understand what I'm doing and how things work.
ReplyDeleteExplain what you are doing this summer. Why might this work be important? What progress are you making, if any?
ReplyDeleteThis summer, my fellow peers and I are researching and trying to synthesize porphyrins for many uses, such as in the scientific or medical field. One main use is in the process of photodynamic therapy where chemistry and light are used to remove cancerous tumors efficiently and effectively. Porphyrins can also be used to treat many diseases. Today, I metathesized my lithium porphyrin by switching out the metal ions with two others, Ni(II), and Fe... this is, quoting Dr. Richards, "very promising". I hope so!! :)
ReplyDeleteCurrently I am attempting to create an octo-brominated iron porphyrin complex. Although my mentor and current collaborator Dr. Richards has created the iron complex before, we hope to create the complex under "normal" conditions. Currently, I have been searching for ways to create a buffer solution at a pH level of approximately an 8, due to the iron complex reacting "interestingly" at this basic level. Hopefully, I will be able to create the solution so I can move on to my next phase.
ReplyDeleteI am attempting to prepare an octafluoronated pentafluoro cobalt porphryin. These complexes are important for a number of applications including water purification, fuel-cell technology, and on-site nerve-agent deactivation or decomposition. I am currently trying to purify some porphyrin that was synthesized earlier this year before I make some from scratch. To purify the complexes, I will use column chromotography.
ReplyDeleteWell, all last night, I awaited Dr. Richards to post a question on the blog, but she might of forgotten, so I have a question for you Dr. Richards. What is it like teaching all boys this year?
ReplyDeleteJ Squiggles you are lame.
ReplyDeleteDescribe in detail the most frustrating situation is that you've faced this week.
ReplyDeleteHow did you respond? How would you fix the situation. How did you fix the situation?
My most frustrating situation this week was the amount of time it took me to go through the suction filtration system, but I just waited it out. Overall it wasn't that bad though.
ReplyDeleteWell, the most frustrating situation was when I had to find a folder for Dr. Richards, and I spent a good 30 minutes trying to locate it. Afterwards, I found the folder, and it was the first one I had picked up. I was slightly annoyed by this, but I was relieved to have found the literature.
ReplyDeleteMy most frustrating situation has been trying to purify the porphyrin that I am working with. Something always seems to not work with the purification process. However, I am currently using the technique known as column chromatography to separate the unwanted junk from the desired material. It seems to be working well.
ReplyDeleteWell, ang aking pinakanakakabigo bagay linggo na ito ay tumatakbo sa labas ng pera sa bawat ibang mga araw para sa tanghalian. Ngayon ako mag utang Doctora Richards $10, Jamichael $2, Nick $1, at Jahwann $1.. tingin ko gusto ko bang simulan ang pakain mas maliit na sukat at magbayad ng utang ang pera utang ko...
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kyle JG Sanburg's query about teaching all males this summer:
ReplyDeleteI think that is might be no different to a mixed group: males/females. Interestingly enough, I also have an all-male undergraduate research group. This group has a great sense of humor, though, and that is refreshing! Although I have mostly focused some of my research on promoting women in chemistry, one strong area of need is minorities, particularly black males/females in Science, Technolology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
We usually give an award for leadership in/outside of the laboratory. What do you consider "leadership" to be and how are you leading during this internsip experience?
ReplyDeleteThe definition of leadership, in my own words, is the ability to lead. The ability to lead breaks down into categories, diligence, initiative, character, responsibility, and cooperation. If one shows all of these core values, one is a true leader. Since this is my second year, I have been attempting to tell Jamichael some things about my first year's experience in this internship program. I have also been working more diligently in my logbook and making sure I don't lose it like last year. I try to be a role model but I'm not sure I'm doing such a great job. Right now I'm a follower, I hope I can better myself to become a true leader one day.
ReplyDeleteLeadership is the quality of a person with ability to not only show all the qualities such as responsibility, initiative, character, and the ability to follow orders. A good leader is a person who can show these values, and then encourage others to show these values. I think that a leader leads without being seen or watched. I would like to be a leader one day, but I do not have enough experience. One day, I will be able to take the lead I believe.
ReplyDeleteJahwann... nice original definition... you didn't base yours off mine at all.. notice extreme sarcasm.. your definition is still true though.. a good leader has to take responsibility in encouraging others to show these values even when nobody is looking...
ReplyDeleteInteresting discussion! I'm interested in if you think that you are leaders right now? Are leaders also followers?
ReplyDeleteActually Geovic, we had key points that we hit on, but I would like to believe I am a leader, but I feel that I don't always influence others to accomplish a task. However, I do believe I am a good follower, and that if that counts for anything, I think that all of us are leaders.
ReplyDeleteLeadership is the ability to lead even when everyone else around you is following. How do you lead? By standing up for what you consider important and by influencing others to do the same. If one can inspire others to work hard and become successful, he/she is definitely a leader. I feel that I am both a leader and a follower. When something is important to me, I put a lot of effort into it and encourage others to do the same. But when I am apathetic about something, I tend to take short cuts and not perform my best. This is one of my many faults that I am working on. As for Geovic's accusation about Jah-Wann's plagarism, I have to agree with the Asian on this one. Sorry Squiggles.
ReplyDeleteI wonder when we gone get paid?
ReplyDeleteI just wanna say, Happy Birthday Nick! You are now an old man!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Nick!
ReplyDeleteYou've now completed three works of the summer research program. Any thoughts and impressions?
ReplyDeleteConsider and respond to the following:
ReplyDelete(1) Why would we consider porphyrins the "colors of life"? (JW)
(2) What is Gouterman's four-orbital theory and why is it widely accepted as a model for explaining the electronic behavior of porphyrin? (JG)
(3) What perturbations occur to the porphyrins orbitals that causes the number of Q-bands to decrease when metal complexation occurs? (GJ)
(4) What happens to a transition metal's d-orbitals when they are bonded to the four nitrogens of the porphyrin ligand? (NG)
DIscuss these before answering the blog. I've indicated the initials of the person in charge of each question. Besides responding to the blog, be prepared to present these for discussion at our group meeting on Wednesday.
To JaMichael's comment: I wonder when I'm going to be paid!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen metal ions are inserted into the porphyrin to synthesize metalloprophyrins, the q-bands drop from four to two. The reason for this is because when there is a metal ion in the center, the symmetry of the porphyrin is changed which causes the energy transfer from the HOMO's to LUMO's to shorten because the metal in the center restricts the amount of room for electrons and energy to "roam" around. This lessens the energy levels of the porphyrin and causes less q-bands.
ReplyDeleteI hope this is right.
Porphyrins are the colors of life because they are in all living organisms in the form of heme or chlorophyl.
ReplyDeleteGouterman’s four-orbital theory is the theory proposed by Martin Gouterman, and it is used to help explain the absorption spectra of porphyrins. In his theory, orbitals of the porphyry complexes form from the transition (exchange) between two HOMOs and two LUMOs with metal ions in their centers (in example: CuTMPyP, LiTMPyP, FeTMPyP, etc.) When the HOMOs and LUMOs are mixed together and hit with photons, the electrons in the HOMOs are excited to the LUMOs, causing the LUMO to become the HOMO, and vice versa. The spectra a person would see is the absorption of photons in the HOMO (known as the soret band) and the LUMO (also called q-bands). The soret band is the highest occupied energy level, while the Q-bands are the lowest occupied energy levels. This model is widely accepted because it can be tested through the Ultra violet visible spectroscopy. This theory helps explain symmetry of metalloporphyrins, and why the number of q bands change.
ReplyDeleteI hope this is right.
The d orbitals of the transition metals are where the energy transfer (exchange) between the HOMO and LUMO occur when the electrons of the metalloporphyrin are excited by photons. The metallic ions of the coordination complex affect the d orbitals of the porphyrin (ligand) due to the interchange of electrons in the ligand structure of the central metal ion. These atoms are interchanged by either d-d transition or charge transfer. In d-d transition, photons excite an electron in the d orbital of a metal ion, onto another atom’s d orbital. In charge transfer, the electron from a metal-based orbital moves to an empty ligand orbital or vice verse (ligand to metal transition). So, when a metal ion is bonded with the four nitrogens in the core of a free-base porphyrin, the d orbitals of the metal ion are affected because electrons move to one of the porphyrin’s empty orbitals, therefore lowering the energy of the ligand.
ReplyDeleteJaMichael will answer this question on behalf of the team. Use the Internet, books, faculty, etc. to assist with this tea question and be ready to respond to it as a 1-slide PPT at 9 am.
ReplyDeleteEach of you worked with at least one metal ion this and last summer: Nick- Ni(II) and Mn(II) or Mn(III); Jah-Wann -Ni(II) and Mn(II) or Mn(III) and now Cu(II); Geovic - Cu(II), Gd(III); JaMichael -Co(II). I am interested in the electron configurations of the metal ions. The electon configuration represents the address of each electron in its orbital. For exaple, hyrdrogen atom is 1s1 while the hyrogen ion, having lost an electron is 1s0.
1. What is the nobel gas electron configuration of each of your metal ions?
I am also interested in arrangeents of electrons in d-orbitals.
2. For EACH of the transition metals only (not Gd(III)), how are these electrons typically arranged in the d orbitals in these ions when they are inserted in the porphyrin ligand?
Geovic-Cu(II)=4S^0 3D^9[Ar]
ReplyDeleteGd(III)=6S4F75D1 [Xe]
Nick-Ni-(II)=3d8 4s2 [Ar]
Mn(II)=4s2 3d5 [Ar]
Jah-Wann-Ni=(II)=3d8 4s2 [Ar]
Mn=(II)=4s2 3d5 [Ar]
Cu(II)4s1 3d10 [Ar]
Jamichael(me)-Co(II)=4s2 3d5 [Ar]
1.) Cu(II) = 4s^0 3d^9 [Ar]
ReplyDeleteGd(III)= 6s4f75d1 [Xe]
2.) Cu(II) = Since the d-orbital is d9, the orbital will remain half-occupied. Due to this electron configuration, the energetic strength of the donation interaction is reduced by one-half.
This is all the info I could gather for you Jahmichael.
So for question one, it is unclear WHY the electrons give these configurations. For example, explain why are some transition metal electron configurations 4s2 and others 4s1 or 4s0?
ReplyDeleteDr. Richards, I am not sure what you mean, but I think that the electron configuration has something to do with the shape of the orbitals.
ReplyDeleteThis is a team question to be answered by JaMichael.
ReplyDeleteI have a question Dr. Richards... Do you know what my Theoretical Background is supposed to be, or do I find it in the literature? I would appreciate your help.
ReplyDeleteSo, in 250 words or more, describe your overall experience this summer.
ReplyDeleteAs a three-year Project SEED participant, I have experienced it all—from feelings of utter disappointment to slight happiness to pure delight, and then feelings of utter disappointment again (because frankly, there is a lot of this in research). This emotional roller coaster ride is what engages chemists and motivates them to attack their research. That one moment of success outweighs the countless moments of frustration and failure tenfold.
ReplyDeleteI truly feel blessed that I was given the opportunity to be a part of something as amazing as Project SEED. For this, I gratefully acknowledge the American Chemical Society and Georgia College and State University. The Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy at GCSU is an excellent location for beginners to experience what real, applicable, and relevant research is all about. The people are great, the atmosphere is incredible, the knowledge is everywhere, and the scientific research is cutting-edge. Having that thought in the back of your mind that the research you are conducting could potentially save a life, or lives for that matter, is the ultimate motivation for your work.
Some simple yet important suggestions for new Project SEED/YSA participants:
1. DO NOT take this opportunity for granted. Remember, hundreds of other high school students would kill to be in your shoes right now.
2. You will not know 90% of what Dr. Richards talks about on the first day. This is okay…I promise. When I started the program way back in the summer before my junior year of high school, I knew NOTHING. I began to stress out because all of the other students seemed so much more intelligent than me. Although I did make some sort of an effort to educate myself on some of the background topics and laboratory techniques, I didn’t give it 100%, and I regret this.
3. Time is a valuable thing. I remember wasting so much time doing things that did not relate to scientific research at all. Although there is a lot of down time, there is always something to do and/or be learned. Don’t let Facebook own you. It will never save lives. Work effectively and efficiently, avoiding as many distractions as possible.
4. Don’t be lazy! I am a lazy person by nature, and I am easily distracted by so many things that don’t matter. It is going to be hard to focus when the Internet and your cell phone are so accessible. I look back on the three summers and think about how much more productive I could have been. This is a terrible feeling, because I was close to successfully completing two different projects.
5. This is your job! You are not here as a right—this is definitely a privilege. Remember, privileges can be taken away, and employees can be fired. The setting is professional, as such should be your behavior.
6. Don’t let money be your only motivation for attending work each day. The point of these programs is to expose as many students as possible, who otherwise would never have the opportunity, to real, pertinent science. Dr. Richards’s hope is for you to develop a passion for chemistry, not money.
7. Make every day enjoyable! Please have fun. Crack jokes, laugh, goof around every now and then (just not in the lab), and enjoy your lunch hour! Dr. Richards’s intention is for you to enjoy your time in Project SEED/YSA and for you to want to come to work every day. Chemists love having fun, but at the same time, they are serious about science.
I must admit that I honestly miss the days when I was a Project SEEDer. I met some awesome people and made some great friends. Project SEED opened so many doors for me that otherwise would have remained close. I contribute much of my success in high school to Project SEED (i.e. receiving $20,000 in scholarships, etc.), and I hope I will be able to say the same thing when I graduate from college. Project SEED sparked my interest in chemistry, and it was the catalyst I needed to get me onto the right track for college. I would recommend Project SEED to any high school student—everyone could benefit from it. You will remember this time in your life forever!
I have been in this program for two years now and as I contemplate over this past year and the last past year, I clearly say that I have found a place where I can truly fit in. I have learned so much chemistry now that I have an edge in school (thanks to Dr. Richards drilling it into my head). I have also made some new friends from other places like in Hancock and in Wilco; more friends equals better connections.
ReplyDeleteWorking over the summer at GC&SU on the YSA program has inspired me to take the courses there for my college years. It has inspired me to hopefully one day, create cures for cancer and other incurable lethal ailments. I can say that this program is one that I will always remember.
If one is scientifically minded and wants to make some cash and learn some chemistry, he or she should call up Dr. Richards and inquire about these amazing programs.