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 />
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