b'Monitoring the Aluminum-Mercury ReactionLarra M. Williams, Zac Barton, Bethany E. Dawkins, Olivia Moss, Julia Posey, Carly M. Eaves, Department of ChemistryFaculty Sponsor: Thomas Manning, Department of ChemistryAluminum metal form an amalgam when reacted with mercury and produce a unusually growth of low density aluminum oxide. In this project, the reaction is recorded using a series of high-resolution pictures taken over several hours. The product is studied using Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Flame emission spectroscopy. This amalgam can be used in chemical reactions such as the reduction of imines to amines. Aluminum, which has to be cleaned by hydrochloric acid, is electron donor, and the liquid mercury metal aids in the electron transfer that results in an aluminum oxide compound.Nicotine Effects on AlgaeWilliam T. Wilson, Department of ChemistryFaculty Advisors: Thomas Manning and James NienowThe aim of the experiment was to assess how nicotine would affect algal growth in an aquatic ecosystem. If successful in our quest for a naturally-occurring, target-specific antimicrobial agent, we would propose the product as a solution for overgrowth of Karenia Brevis, also known as red tide. The K. Brevis microbe is responsible for widespread death of marine life in Florida, and the economic implications on the state of Florida are significant. We suspect that the toxic compound would hinder algal growth. Nicotine was not isolated during the course of the experiment. In summary, the tobacco plant products that we studied seemed to fuel algal growth, rather than hinder growth. Our evidence was not conclusive. This is due to several facts. First, since nicotine was not isolated, we cannot know what other molecules/compounds may have had effect. Second, algae was not observed at the cellular level pre-treatment with tobacco products.23'