ASHTON NICHOLSON
HOMETOWN
Pensacola, FL
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
B.A. in Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, 2014
Honors Thesis Defense Presentation
Research Interests
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a widely used chemical in synthetic chemistry and also has unique and important biological applications. In the pure liquid state, DMSO forms chain-like structures of alternating sulfur and oxygen atoms due to its high self-association; however, it is known that DMSO/water mixtures form solutions with unique physical characteristics depending on the molar ratio. For example, at a 1:2 ratio of DMSO/water, a eutectic mixture forms with a freezing point of -70oC. Vibrational spectroscopy allows us to study the effects of noncovalent interactions when water and DMSO interact in solution. Spectral shifts can be analyzed in order to give a clearer picture of the structure of DMSO in DMSO/water solutions and also in solutions with other hydrogen bond donors that cannot form as extensive hydrogen bonded networks.
Publications
Presentations
A. Nicholson, K. Cuellar, D. Magers, and N. Hammer, “Raman Spectroscopic and Computational Analysis of the Effects of Noncovalent Interactions on DMSO,” 2014 Mississippi State EPSCoR Meeting, Starkville, MS, April 2014.