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Environmental Internship Program - 2023 Booklet

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Chloe Park ’25<br />

CHEMISTRY<br />

Certificates: Classics, <strong>Environmental</strong> Studies<br />

PROJECT TITLE<br />

Carbon Negative Fuels and<br />

Plastics<br />

ORGANIZATION(S)<br />

Chirik Group,<br />

Department of Chemistry,<br />

Princeton University<br />

LOCATION(S)<br />

Princeton, New Jersey<br />

MENTOR(S)<br />

Paul Chirik,<br />

Edwards S. Sanford<br />

Professor of Chemistry;<br />

Hanna Cramer,<br />

Postdoctoral Research<br />

Fellow, Chemistry;<br />

Cherish Nie, Ph.D.<br />

candidate, Chemistry<br />

Most of the plastics we use daily, from shrink<br />

wrap to soda bottles, are in a class of polymers<br />

called polyolefins. Typical polyolefins are very<br />

stable materials that cannot be broken down<br />

completely, leading to accumulation in the<br />

environment. Developing depolymerizable<br />

polyolefins that can be broken down chemically<br />

is crucial since it enables plastics to be recycled<br />

infinitely, without worrying about subsequent<br />

losses in quality. I worked on developing a metal<br />

catalyst to break down a new type of polyolefin<br />

into its monomer building blocks. I was<br />

responsible for synthesizing different ligands —<br />

molecules that bind to a metal center and modify<br />

the catalytic activity of the overall complex —<br />

that were of interest to our project. I learned to<br />

set up chemical reactions, purify compounds and<br />

analyze the structures of molecules via nuclear<br />

magnetic resonance spectroscopy. I also gained<br />

practice presenting in front of other lab members<br />

and searching the chemical literature. Since the<br />

conclusion of my internship, I have decided to<br />

pursue a minor in <strong>Environmental</strong> Studies and I<br />

will continue to work with the Chirik Group on<br />

my junior independent project this year.<br />

INNOVATION AND A<br />

NEW ENERGY FUTURE<br />

81

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