b'Developing a Pigment Extraction Method from Leaves and Fruits as an Experiential Learning ProjectAlexa Luna, Jayden Thomas, and Jwalant ShahSponsors: Dr. Sreenilayam and Dr. FocsanCarotenoids, the focus of this experiment, are the yellow and red pigments found in fruits and plants which have been proven to be excellent antioxidants due to their structural diversity and hydrophilic/lipophilic balance. These pigments are currently being extracted using Volatile Organic Solvents (VOS) which can pose plenty of risk to human health, especially when working with these solvents in larger volumes. VOS can undergo photochemical reactions and produce ozone which would not only harm human health, but also the environment. Aside from how dangerous these solvents are to work with, the yields obtained when extracting pigments using these solvents are fairly low.It is crucial to find an extraction method which would be safer for the environment and result in overall higher yields. Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) are solvents made from two or more naturally occurring / biodegradable components which are completely safe for the environment and would give overall higher extraction yields than the VOSs would. The main goal of this experiment is to successfully find an extraction method of pigments from natural sources, such as spinach, using environmentally friendly solvents in order to be able to conduct this experiment in different Chemistry labs.Fluorescently Labeled Cytochrome Cfor the Detection of SuperoxideMakenzee Madison PageSponsor: Dr. WoldmanWith the role of superoxide in oxidative damage and neurodegenerative disorders in mind, various methods of superoxide detection exist, most trusted being the detection through the reduction of cytochrome c. However, the method suffers from low sensitivity. We suggested to attach a fluorescent label which fluorescence depends on the redox state of cytochrome c. Since fluorescence measurements are more sensitive than absorbance, we assumed that our modified cytochrome c would provide greater sensitivity for superoxide detection. In superoxide-generating system we compared the sensitivity of fluorescence and absorbance at the same level of superoxide generation and found fluorescence being at least five times more sensitive. We also found that the rate calculated from fluorescence and absorbance measurements in the same superoxide-generating system is the same. The difference between fluorescence of attached label for oxidized and reduced state of cytochrome c is probably explained by cytochrome c being paramagnetic (Fe3+) in oxidized state and diamagnetic (Fe2+, low spin) in reduced. 27'