Date Approved
7-15-2014
Date Posted
11-4-2014
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department or School
Chemistry
Committee Member
Timothy Brewer, PhD, Chair
Committee Member
Lawrence Kolopalo, PhD.
Committee Member
Jose Vites, PhD.
Abstract
The method presented here provides the foundation for a simple and selective qualitative determination of thiamine in solution. Gold nanoparticles in the presence of thiamine results in the formation of a secondary peak in the absorbance spectrum of the mixture. This peak can be used as an indicator of thiamine, which is useful for the qualitative analysis of solutions, and may provide an alternative to other methods for evaluating thiamine in blood and other biological systems. This method uses gold nanoparticles of a size around 20 to 30 nm and involves their selective interaction with thiamine, compared to selected amino acids. The interaction was measured using UV-VIS spectroscopy. The formation of secondary absorbance peaks was correlated to a change in the shape of the gold nanoparticles. A limit of detection was estimated and the relative selectivity of the method was evaluated. The main challenge in this project was coping with the absorbance decrease of the peaks of the solutions. Further studies are required to find the exact cause of this absorbance decrease. They can provide a further understanding of the usefulness of this method for thiamine detection in solution as well as other applications.
Recommended Citation
Zielinski, Michael Vincent, "Determination of thiamine in solution by UV-visible spectrophotometry: The effect of interactions with gold nanoparticles" (2014). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 597.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/597