Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2015
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
First Advisor
Karl Wallace
Abstract
A class of compounds called “legal highs” is known to be psychoactive. These substances provide the user with a psychoactive experience or a “high.” They are not currently illegal by any governing body. The aim of this study was to design and synthesize molecular probes to target “legal highs”. Upon binding, a color change or fluorescence change can occur, which would imply that the drug is present. Psychoactive drugs generally contain an amine functional group. The sensors synthesized in this project bind to the amine functional group, which result in a spectroscopic response. Structural elucidation was carried out by Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR). Additionally, UV-Vis spectroscopy was utilized to determine any colorimetric change. This study contributes to the field of drug recognition and molecular design.
Copyright
Copyright for this thesis is owned by the author. It may be freely accessed by all users. However, any reuse or reproduction not covered by the exceptions of the Fair Use or Educational Use clauses of U.S. Copyright Law or without permission of the copyright holder may be a violation of federal law. Contact the administrator if you have additional questions.
Recommended Citation
Roberts, Hannah C., "Synthesis of a Colorimetric Probe for Psychoactive Drugs" (2015). Honors Theses. 460.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/460