Blaine Teeters ’24 — I want to give a huge thanks to Wabash College, the Wabash Chemistry Department, and other sponsors for the opportunity to intern this summer. Big thanks to Dr. Cook for working alongside my partner, Jacob Fecht, and I to guide us along our research and showing us techniques that will help with a future chemistry career.
Our research mainly focused on Various cobalt (III) compounds were synthesized and analyzed to see if the reduction of oxygen was apparent with these compounds. The compounds contained different functional groups and provided different results for each new compound under different conditions. The cyclic voltammetry revealed the reduction of the cobalt (III) complex and being oxidized back to cobalt (III). This was apparent mainly when the solution was purged under O2, which is a good step since the reduction of oxygen is the main study here. This project was done so that fuel cell batteries can be made much cheaper and produce the same results an expensive metal does. The reduction of O2 and cheap materials can lead to healthier environment for the Earth.
Most of the research we completed was focused on organic compounds and techniques used in Organic Chemistry. These techniques and information I have learned from this summer, has given me a head start for the fall when I will begin taking Organic Chemistry. The opportunity allowed me to see what a research career with a chemistry degree entails and helped give an understanding on what I may do past my undergrad studies. Thanks once again to everybody who helped make this experience possible and helping me with my Chemistry journey.
