Wendy (Nayeli) Galvan
McNair Scholar 2023
- Major(s): Biochemistry and Biology (Pre-Med)
- Classification: Senior
- Anticipated Graduation Date: Fall 2023
- Career Aspirations: After attaining a bachelor’s degree, Nayeli intends to move to Houston and attend Case Western Reserve University to receive a Master of Science in Anesthesiology. She hopes to become an anesthesiology assistant in the Lubbock Area.
“The best part of the McNair experience is getting to know Victoria, Kirbi, my cohort, and my mentor. The relationships I have built through McNair are relationships that will last a lifetime and I am grateful I got the chance to know each and every one of them.”- Nayeli Galvan
“Synthesis and Characterization of Epoxidized Limonene”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Maha Shrestha
Limonene is a widely researched organic molecule due to its availability and affordability. Limonene is known as a natural terpene, commonly found in citrus fruits such as oranges. The structure of limonene contains two double bonds, which is the focus of our project. The two double bonds react with oxygen to form a three-membered ring structure with the two adjacent carbons, thus creating an epoxy functional group. The goal of this work is to create limonene oxide, an important bio-monomer that has the potential to replace the use of petroleum-based material in the polyurethane industry. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy will be used to characterize the epoxidized limonene. FT-IR will be used to detect the functional groups and vibrations present in the product. NMR will be used to study the hydrogen and carbon atom activity to decipher the structure.