Research Opportunities for Students

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE:  two semesters of General Chemistry

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: one semester each Analytical and Organic Chemistry

Current Research Interests:

Synthesis and characterization of silica composites made with a sol-gel process

  • methods used: sol-gel synthesis, viscometry, spectroscopy
Meg+colored_sols.jpg
A chemistry major prepared colored silica sols.
painting with silica sol on glass
The art major who inspired the research used the sols to create a painting on glass.

Thermochemical studies of weakly bound adducts

  • methods used:  isothermal microcalorimetry, spectroscopy, computer analysis

Related Publications:
J. E. Mihalick, W. P. Griffiths III*, J. E. Muten*, T. A. Olson*, J. B. Hein*, "Thermochemistry of Binding of Lead (II) and Cadmium (II) by Saccharides in Aqueous Solution." Journal of Solution Chemistry  28, 1025-1036 (1999).
D. L. Parker, J. E. Mihalick, J. L. Plude, M. J. Plude,T. P. Clark*, L. Egan, J. J. Flom*, L.C. Rai, H.D. Kumar, "Sorption of metals by extracellular polymers from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa  f. flos-aquae  strain C3-40." Journal of Applied Phycology  12, 219-224 (2000).
J. E. Mihalick, K. M. Donnelly.  “Using metals to change the colors of natural dyes.” Journal of Chemical Education 83, 1550-1551 (2006).
J. E. Mihalick, K. M. Donnelly. "Cooking up colors from plants, fabric and metal." Journal of Chemical Education 84, 96A (2007).

 * indicates undergraduate student coauthor