Sarah C. Rutan is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program in the Chemistry Division to perform studies aimed at developing a better understanding of solvation in condensed phases through the use of spectroscopic measurements and chemometrics. She and her group at Virginia Commonwealth University will use solvent sensitive dye probes to investigate the solvation of bonded alkyl silica phases used in reverse phase liquid chromatography. Other studies will involve solvation of probe molecules in non-ideal binary solvent mixtures and characterization of the solvation of alkyl phases based on variations in light transmittance caused by changes in refractive index. Linear and non-linear chemometric treatments of the data will be performed to develop models which can be used to predict retention behavior. The process of removing one solute from among others dissolved in a liquid phase involves transfering that solute into another phase. This is the process of chemical separations and is important from a practical viewpoint for pollution control, production of pure pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, and many other applications. This work involves a fundamental study of the solvation process to enable a better understanding of the chemistry involved. This could lead to significant improvements in these practical applications.
