This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project, supported in the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, aims to develop capillary electrophoresis as a method for characterizing noncovalent interactions such as host-guest complexation reactions. Professor Gomez and his undergraduate and master's level students at California State University at Los Angeles will develop metal ion affinity chromatographic supports, immobilize beta-cyclodextrin dimers and small ligands on the surfaces of capillary electrophoresis columns, and prepare capillary coatings with terminal ligands on their surfaces. Nonaqueous and mixed solvent capillary electrophoresis will be examined to determine the analytical utility of such systems. This CAREER project will introduce students to a number of important contemporary areas including surface chemistry, capillary electrophoresis, host- guest complexation reactions, and protein and peptide separations. A further educational aim will be to raise the awareness of minority students at the middle and high school levels regarding career opportunities in science. Capillary electrophoresis is being developed as a method to characterize important noncovalent intermolecular interactions with the support of this CAREER research project. Professor Gomez is introducing this emerging area of separation science to undergraduate and master's level graduate students with emphasis on practical problem solving applications. Considerable effort will be invested in the synthesis of molecular structures that exhibit intermolecular interactions of interest when used in conjunction with capillary electrophoresis. New laboratory and course experience will be provided to these students in this area. Efforts will be made to involve middle and high school minority students in activities that encourage their interest in science.
