Biofuels are of particular interest as they have the potential to reduce our dependence on petroleum-derived fuels for transportation. 1-Hexanol is a promising renewable long chain alcohol that can be used in conventional fuel blends or as a cosolvent for biodiesel mixtures. However, the fundamental combustion properties of 1-hexanol have not been fully characterized in the literature. Thus, new experimental results, consisting of temperature and concentration profiles of stable species were obtained for the oxidation of 1-hexanol generated in an opposed-flow diffusion flame at 0.101 MPa. The kinetic model consists of 361 chemical species and 2687 chemical reactions (most of them reversible). This experimental data were compared to the predicted values of a detailed chemical kinetic model proposed in literature to study the combustion of 1-hexanol. Reaction pathway and sensitivity analyses were performed to interpret the results. In addition, several improvements were investigated to optimize the proposed chemical kinetic mechanism.

Biofuels are of particular interest as they have the potential to reduce our dependence on petroleum-derived fuels for transportation. 1-Hexanol is a promising renewable long chain alcohol that can be used in conventional fuel blends or as a cosolvent for biodiesel mixtures. However, the fundamental combustion properties of 1-hexanol have not been fully characterized in the literature. Thus, new experimental results, consisting of temperature and concentration profiles of stable species were obtained for the oxidation of 1-hexanol generated in an opposed-flow diffusion flame at 0.101 MPa. The kinetic model consists of 361 chemical species and 2687 chemical reactions (most of them reversible). This experimental data were compared to the predicted values of a detailed chemical kinetic model proposed in literature to study the combustion of 1-hexanol. Reaction pathway and sensitivity analyses were performed to interpret the results. In addition, several improvements were investigated to optimize the proposed chemical kinetic mechanism.

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In recent years, there have been a number of studies looking at inhibition of microorganisms by spices, herbs or their extracts.  Many of these products have been shown to have antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens.  The purpose of this research was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of three essential oil (EO) compounds (thymol, eugenol, and trans-cinnamaldehyde) alone and in combination with three naturally-occurring apple aroma (AA) compounds (hexanal, trans-2-hexenal and 1-hexanol) to identify the minimum inhibitory concentrations necessary to inhibit E. coli O157:H7.  Three commercial apple juice flavoring mixtures (natural apple cinnamon, natural apple spice and natural red apple) were additionally tested alone for antimicrobial activity against E. coli O157:H7. The standard agar dilution method (SAD) and checkerboard assay were used to evaluate the efficacy of the nine compounds, alone and in combination against E. coli O157:H7.  In general, the EO compounds were significantly more effective against E. coli O157:H7 than the AA compounds (P<0.05).  Cinnamaldehye, with an MIC of 0.2 mg/mL, exhibited the highest degree of activity, followed by thymol, eugenol and trans-2-hexenal, which each had individual MIC values of 1.6 mg/mL.  No synergism was found in the combinations of EO compounds with AA compounds. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Solid phase micro-extraction is a powerful and versatile technique, well-suited to the analysis of numerous samples of forensic interest. The exceptional sensitivity of the SPME platform, combined with its adaptability to traditional GC-MS systems and its ability to extract samples with minimal work-up, make it appropriate to applications in forensic laboratories. In a series of research projects, solid phase micro-extraction was employed for the analysis of explosives, commercial tire treatments, and entomological specimens. In the first project, the volatile organic compounds emanating from two brands of pseudo-explosive training aids for use in detector dog imprinting were determined by SPME-GC-MS, and the efficacy of these training materials was tested in live canine trials. In the second project, the headspace above various plasticizers was analyzed comparative to that of Composition C-4 in order to draw conclusions about the odor compound, 2- ethyl-1-hexnaol, with an eye toward the design of future training aids. In the third, automobile tires which had participated in professional race events were analyzed for the presence of illicit tire treatments, and in the fourth, a novel SPME-GC-MS method was developed for the analysis of blowfly (Diptera) liquid extracts. In the fifth and final project, the new method was put to the task of performing a chemotaxonomic analysis on pupa specimens, seeking to chemically characterize them according to their age, generation, and species.