Department of Chemistry

Producing hand sanitizer for local hospitals

kvd1 — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 03:01:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to worldwide shortages of personal protective equipment and, very early on, products like hand sanitizer. This has a great impact on hospitals where these products are critical to limiting the spread of the virus, especially for frontline health care workers and patients.

Confronting COVID-19

Tags:

COVID-19

Coronavirus

Hand Sanitizer

Hospitals

community

chemistry

Canada Research Chair

PPE

Crystallization Pattern of a Common Salt Mixture

kvd1 — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 19:17:10 +0000

Rachel Korchinsky

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are rechargeable energy carriers that power electronic devices such as phones, cars, and hybrid/electric vehicles. The demand for lithium used to manufacture LIBs is expected to grow 30-fold by 2040. Industry primarily extracts lithium from rock ore and brine; however, the methods used are time-intensive and costly. Therefore, we are investigating alternative extraction methods that would reduce the energy consumption, waste production, and time intensity. The image, obtained by microscopy, is of salts that crystallized after evaporation of a lithium-containing brine.

Location of photograph:

Electron Microscopy Facility, Queen's University

Submission Year:

2023

Crystalline Acid

kvd1 — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 19:07:03 +0000

Dan Reddy

This photo taken with scanning electron microscopy depicts an extremely small yet precise volume (i.e., nanolitre-sized) of crystallized decanoic acid. We are using these spots of crystalline acid to extract and preconcentrate, or soak-up, chemicals of concern like opioids from wastewater samples. This preconcentration step improves our ability to monitor these chemicals. By doing so, we can improve how we detect these harmful compounds and protect local watersheds.

Location of photograph:

Chernoff Hall, Queen's University

Submission Year:

2022

Pioneering Queen’s chemistry research gets $24M boost

kvd1 — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 15:17:43 +0000

Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund supporting novel research that could extend the lifespan of metals and potentially save billions across the infrastructure, microchip, and health care industries.

#QueensuResearch | Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund supporting novel research that could extend the lifespan of metals and potentially save billions across the infrastructure, microchip, and health care industries.

Extending the lifespan of metals

kvd1 — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 15:07:44 +0000

��˴�Ƭ researcher and Canada Research Chair in Metal Organic Coatings Dr. Cathleen Crudden has received $24 million from the Government of Canada to develop coatings that could preserve metals against deterioration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S5LTavJGGQ

Conversations Confronting COVID-19: Innovation Pivots

kvd1 — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 13:57:15 +0000

Since the global pandemic hit in winter 2020, Canadians and global citizens have been confronted with a myriad of questions – from how to understand and treat the virus, to how to cope with life in quarantine, and what life will look like when we surface from this international crisis.

Learn more about how ��˴�Ƭ researchers, students, and alumni have mobilized to apply their expertise and skills to help address all aspects of COVID-19 in our discussion on Innovation Pivots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdHs8bF5jDE

Watch the Discussion: Conversations Confronting COVID-19: Innovation Pivots

kvd1 — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 18:15:02 +0000

Launched on Wednesday, June 24, the first installment of the monthly series will focus on the theme of Innovation Pivots and feature members of the Queen’s community who have effectively pivoted their research and programs to come up with creative and innovative solutions to the pandemic.

Confronting COVID-19

Tags:

Provincial Government

Ontario

Africa

MasterCard Foundation

Porous Plastic Particle

kvd1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 17:34:57 +0000

Ross Jansen-van Vuuren

The photograph is of a water-swollen hydrogel particle created in our chemistry laboratory, taken with an instrument called a Scanning Electron Microscope, which allows us to zone in and see important details on the surface of the hydrogel. A hydrogel is essentially a plastic material that is able to absorb very large volumes of water (up to 800 times its weight!) – much like a baby diaper, swelling as it does so. From the image, the surface of the hydrogel is seen to possess large, distinctive pores, which help us understand how and why hydrogels absorb so much liquid.

Location of photograph:

Bruce Hall, SEM Lab, Queen’s University

Prize name:

Invisible Discoveries

Submission Year:

2019-20

One Step Closer to Unravelling Cancer

MLR7 — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 19:23:34 +0000

Before realizing that she had made an important discovery, Caitlin Miron (PhD' 18) thought she had made a mistake.

Before realizing that she had made an important discovery, Caitlin Miron thought she had made a mistake.

Lecturer lands spot in international final

moonr — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 16:01:01 +0000

��˴�Ƭ University PhD candidate Morgan Lehtinen (Chemistry)

Under the supervision of Guojun Liu (Chemistry), Lehtinen’s research focuses on the development of smart filters and their use in oil and water separation. These new tools could provide a greener option to the current separation methods – especially in regards to oil spills.

Student Research

Powerful pollen

moonr — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 16:01:01 +0000

P. Andrew Evans has discovered wrapping antibiotics in pollen could protect them from light.

Antibiotics are powerful medication that are used to fight infections, but the ongoing and well publicized issues with resistance has made the search for new medicines critical to human health.

New Discoveries

Solving crime through chemistry

moonr — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 15:45:14 +0000

Dr. Diane Beauchemin demonstrates how she analyzes human hair.

Queen’s University researcher Diane Beauchemin has spent years working on techniques to help law enforcement solve crime and to more pragmatically assess food safety.

Research Award

Recognizing research excellence at Queen’s

moonr — Mon, 27 May 2019 16:01:01 +0000

Margaret Moore (Political Studies), Tucker Carrington (Chemistry; Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy), Mark Daymond (Mechanical and Materials Engineering; Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy), Robert Ross (Kinesiology and Health Studies)

Research Award

Start Counting! - A Microscopic View of Algae

kvd1 — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 21:00:01 +0000

Michael Jessop

This photo was taken with a cell phone camera through a microscopic lens. The picture is a result of a summer undergraduate research project involving growth optimization of algae grown in wastewater. Growing algae on wastewater can remove many chemicals responsible for the pollution of our local water columns. The algae can then be harvested and extracted for oils that can subsequently be converted into a directly usable diesel fuel. Unfortunately, these algae require regular counting in order to determine how well they are growing.

Location of photograph:

Biosciences Complex, Queen's University

Submission Year:

2015-16

MoS2

kvd1 — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 20:56:43 +0000

Soran Jahangiri

This picture shows the potential energy surface between layers of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) obtained from quantum chemical calculations. MoS2 is a layered material with a low friction coefficient and is widely used as a solid lubricant. We use the information obtained from this potential energy surface to relate the frictional behaviour of MoS2 to its atomic-level surface properties. The blue spots in this picture represent low-energy structures and the yellow, orange, and red regions correspond to high-energy structures.

Location of photograph:

Queen's University

Submission Year:

2015-16