Laura Muller’s Research Projects

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Wheaton College

Norton, MA 02766

Science Center B-327

508-286-3961

Fax: 508-286-8278

lmuller@wheatonma.edu

Understanding Aging and Drying of Oil Paint Films

Beginning in the fall of 2006, we will be studying the aging and drying of oil paint films using GC-MS and FT-IR spectroscopy as an extension of my sabbatical project on medieval oil painting technology. There may also be an opportunity to develop and collate information collected from museum curators around the world. Please contact me if you would like to work in these areas.

Analysis of Fingerprint Residue by Infrared Spectroscopy

Latent fingerprints are important evidence in crime scene investigations, but are difficult to differentiate and recover from the surrounding environment. Present -day methods used for the detection of latent fingerprints are flawed along with occasionally failing in the recovery of fingerprints, they can also be destructive to the fingerprint. In order to develop a better method for detection of fingerprints that will help in the collection of forensic evidence, an understanding of the chemical composition of fingerprint residue is needed. Iinfrared spectra are being used to determine differences in the chemical nature of fingerprint residues between men and women, differences based on age or gender, and differences in decay rate of residues among these groupings. Sarah Stefan’s ’04 Senior Project

Development and Analysis of a Novel Aging And Drying Method in the Sol-Gel Process

We are developing a method of drying and aging sol-gels using a microwave oven for making samples of differing porosities. We have been using Raman and IR absorption spectroscopy to monitor the chemical and physical changes that occur. These spectroscopies are ideally suited for analysis of sol-gel aging and drying because of their sensitivies to the types and numbers of bonds within the sample. Additionally, these experiments are helping describe the conditions for production sol-gel glasses on a time scale more appropriate for the completion of other sol-gel research questions in an undergraduate setting. Terry Goodrich's '00 and AnGayle Vasiliou’s ’04 Senior Project

Experimental Investigations of the Separation of Binary Liquid Mixtures in Microconfinement

Elucidating the behavior of liquid mixtures in porous materials is crucial to understanding the interaction between groundwater pollutants and soil. It is believed that one component of the groundwater/pollutant mixture will selectively adsorb onto the soil separating it into distinct phases. In this situation, the separation is influenced by the interaction strength of each mixture component with the soil as well as the soil texture. Therefore, the wider pores of sand will have a greater affect on separation than will the extremely small pores of clay. We will investigate the behavior of mixtures in soil using a microporous sol-gel glasses to model soil samples. Raman spectroscopy, which is sensitive to concentration fluctuations within bulk liquids, will be used to monitor the influence of pore size and surface properties on the separation of binary mixtures. Shaelah Reidy's '03 Senior Project, Maranda Lawton '06, Regina Mesias '06 Amber Lehmann '04 , and Kelly Neale '04.

Self-Organization of an Organically Modified Polyoxotugstate

Poloxoxmetalates comprise a class of heteroplyanions, interesting for their nanometric structure (on the order of 15 angstroms), electronic properties, and versatility in different domains. We have been functionalizing lacunar poloxoxtungstates and studiying their self-organization behavior. Miles Sweet's '01 Senior Project

Pore-Size Effects on the Fluorescence Spectra of Sol-Gels

Sol-gels are studied using fluorescence spectroscopy with the goal of developing a quantitative method to measure their pore size. It is expected that the fluorescence spectra of the sol-gels will be altered as the pore size changed. Sol-gels are synthesized and doped with a pyrene solution. These samples were analyzed using UV-visible absorption and laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Thus far we have shown that fluorescence spectra of sol-gels were affected by concentration of pyrene, temperature, and the presence of oxygen or nitrogen in the sample. Leslie Sarikas' '99 Senior Project

Experimental Determination of Serotonin Levels in Rats (with Psychobiology)

We have been helping psychobiology to develop an assay to measure serotonin levels in the rats they study.

Population Study of ADH activity in Drosophila (with Biology)