College of Arts & Sciences
DBD Nonthermal Plasma Treatment of Amino Acids: C ysteine
Ra che l McLa ughl in CNHP Nursing
Dr . H aifeng (Fr ank) Ji Faculty Mentor Chemistry
Poster Session A
Plasma is an electrical discharge that recently gained popularity and attention from the scientific community for its newfound medical applications. It has proved successful as an antiseptic that destroys organisms harmful to body tissues without harming the body tissue itself. This research is focused on the effects of plasma treatment upon various amino acids, specifically L-cysteine. The purpose of this study is to better understand the effects of plasma treatment on a more chemical level as opposed to a biological level. The experiments in this research consisted of treating samples of L-cysteine in various solvents over different periods of time. This treatment converted the L-cysteine to L-cystine, therefore changing the chemical species found within the solution. Afterward, IR, NMR, and Uv/vis tests were conducted on the samples to determine the active species found in the cystine. This research is intended to be used in conjunction with biomedical engineering research in order to discover how and why plasma medicine works so well.
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