Innovate & Inspire Be inspired by these ACS PRF-supported scientists' stories
Dr. Edward Young
Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles
Grant #54848-ND2
Rare Isotopologues as Tracers of Methane Provenance
Dr. Ed Young has broad research interests, including the origin of primitive meteorites, the nature of oxygen isotope effects in the atmosphere, and the geochemistry of fossil-fuel hydrocarbons. His PRF-supported research is to investigate the formation, mixing, and migration of natural methane (CH4), using the isotopic composition of rare doubly-substituted molecules, which contain both 13Carbon and Deuterium atoms. Methane in most natural gas reservoirs is biogenic, produced by bacteria, or by thermal cracking of organic material in sedimentary rocks. Methane is also produced by serpenitization, fluid interaction with mafic igneous rocks. Read the full story…
Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski
Materials Science Center
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Grant #54467-UNI7
Designing "Smart" Polymer Self-Assembling Systems by Tuning Polymer Functionality and Architecture
Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski is a recently tenured faculty member at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. Her ACS PRF Undergraduate New Investigator grant involves the exploration of smart polymers which have applications in enhanced oil recovery and other petroleum relevant issues such as kinetic hydrate inhibitors. Her research group consists entirely of undergraduates who “really appreciate the experience of the immersive experience in a research lab” which is supported in part by Glogowski’s ACS PRF grant. Dr. Glogowski enjoys the responsibility of preparing undergraduates for their next career step whether they go directly to industrial positions or to graduate programs. Read the full story…
Dr. John D. Gilbertson
Department of Chemistry
University of Western Washington
Grant #53427-UR3
Homogeneous Fischer-Tropsch Catalysts for the Conversion of Syngas into Higher Order Hydrocarbons
Dr. John Gilbertson, an inorganic chemist at the University of Western Washington, has studied homogenous catalysis in his work supported by an ACS Petroleum Research Fund UR Grant. The original goal of his proposal was to develop homogenous catalysts to activate carbon monoxide produced by the Fischer-Tropsch process from coal. Such activation would facilitate the reduction the carbon monoxide to higher value materials. Although volumes have been written on heterogeneous catalysis associated with the Fischer-Tropsch process, relatively little has been done with homogeneous catalysis. As Dr. Gilbertson indicates homogenous catalysis offers the potential for considerably improved reaction specificity. Read the full story…
Dr. Matthew F. Bush
Department of Chemistry
University of Washington
Grant #54437-DNI6
Fundamental Interactions Between Petroleum Ions and Gases
Dr. Matthew F. Bush is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Washington. His ACS Petroleum Research Fund grant has supported research utilizing ion mobility spectrometry for characterizing the mixtures of molecules present in petroleum. This gas-phase technique separates ions based on collision cross-section, which is caused by long range interactions between the ions and neutral gas molecules. Dr. Bush states, “our objective was to understand how differences in long-range ion/neutral [gas molecule] interactions could be used to differentiate petroleum ions that have the same elemental composition.” Dr. Bush’s experiments were performed at ambient temperature and low pressure, differentiating his work from similar research in the field. Read the full story…
