David S. Potts dspotts2 at Illinois dot edu B.S., Chemical Engineering: University of Oklahoma (2018) Curriculum Vitae Webmaster (2020-2021) Lab Manager (2021-2022)

Project Description: Millions of tons of epoxides are produced annually through liquid-phase reactions for use in plastic and pharmaceutical production. These reactions are often performed in organic solvent over titanium-incorporated zeolites. Coupling organic solvents with an environmentally benign co-solvent, such as water, can reduce the environmental impact associated with industrial processes while also increasing reaction rates. The aim of this project is to study interactions between solvents and reactive species for alkene epoxidation in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures. We utilize infrared spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry to examine changes in solvent structure and couple these with kinetic measurements to understand the effect of solvent mixing on catalytic performance.