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Grant Supports Chemistry Teaching and Research

Chemistry professor Alicia Hernandez-Castillo has been awarded a prestigious grant from the American Chemical Society鈥檚 Petroleum Research Fund, allowing her to further explore the molecular structures of succinimide derivatives while providing invaluable learning experiences for students at 无忧视频.

The grant, set to begin this summer, will support Hernandez-Castillo鈥檚 innovative work in molecular spectroscopy, a field that blends experimental and theoretical approaches to analyze molecular structures at a fundamental level. Her research has significant industrial implications鈥攕uccinimides play a crucial role in engine oil dispersants, helping to prevent sludge and oxidation buildup鈥攚hich means that students can immerse themselves in applicable research. 鈥淥ur goal is to understand the molecular structure of the different parts of the polymer chain of the dispersants and how they interact with one another,鈥� says Hernandez-Castillo. 

She and her students designed and built a microwave spectrometer that enables them to record high-resolution rotational spectra from 6 to 18 GHz. 鈥淐hirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy uses state-of-art electronics to produce broadband excitation pulses and detects the molecular response over large spectral ranges in a single measurement cycle that occurs on the microsecond timescale,鈥� Hernandez-Castillo says. 鈥淗owever, in order to analyze our spectra, we carry out ab initio and density functional theory calculations to compare with experiments,鈥� 

Hernandez-Castillo and her students have done preliminary work that served as the basis for her application to the Petroleum Research Fund, 鈥渋ncluding acquiring the rotational spectra of several simpler succinimide and maleimide derivatives,鈥� she says. Two of their papers have been published and a third is in the works.

Notably interdisciplinary, Hernandez-Castillo鈥檚 research group comprises eight students from chemistry, physics, engineering and computer science. 鈥淣ot all of them are involved in this project, but all of them are magnificent, incredibly creative and dedicated,鈥� she says. 鈥淢olecular spectroscopy is very multidisciplinary, and I have been incredibly lucky to build a research group at Mudd that reflects that. Getting this grant is a reflection of the hard work of my students, their dedication and the advantages of having students with such a variety of backgrounds.鈥�

Above all, Hernandez-Castillo remains committed to inspiring students. 鈥淚 love learning new things, and I want to make that process fun and engaging for students, even if sometimes the concepts can be abstract and confusing. I really enjoy seeing a student catch 鈥榯he bug鈥� for a subject or understand a concept with which they previously struggled. It really makes my day to notice that students are growing as scientists and people.鈥�