Osteryoung is a leading electroanalytical chemist. Her work under this grant from the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division will study quantitative analysis of benzodiazepines (tranquilizers), sequestration into microspheres of species liberated by electrolysis, interactions of ions with cyclodextrins (size and shape selective reagents), and formation of thin films by electrolysis. Fields benefiting from this work will include pharmacoanalysis, enzyme modeling, high-temperature superconductivity, and fundamental electrochemistry. %%% Specific experiments include observation of complexation of ferrocenecarboxylic acid by cyclodextrins, complexation of heme groups by cyclodextrins, development of methods for benzodiazepines in non-aqueous solvents (which, if used in conjunction with extractions should reduce interferences compared to current methods), use of mono-disperse spheres toprovide constant diffusion coefficients for a variety of species so that their rate of evolution in the electrode double layer can be definitively measured, and electrocrystallization of high temperature Ba-Cu-O superconductors.
