Adam has been working in a branch of Chemistry called “Intercalation Chemistry”. In Intercalation Chemistry, chemists try to place different “guest” compounds in between the stacked layers of a host molecule. It can be pictured as a molecular sandwich with the host species acting as bread and the guest species acting as the filling. For his summer research, he synthesized a nickel compound that may have applications in 
reducing sulphur emissions in fuels.
A molecule called Molybdenum disulfide, MoS2, is a common host molecule used in intercalation chemistry. A nickel cluster compound, Ni15S15(PPh3)6, was synthesized as the guest species and intercalated in between the layers of MoS2. This nickel cluster has the unique property of being able to bind common sulphur-containing impurities in petroleum products called thiophenes. By binding to the impurities, the nickel compound effectively removes these sulphur products from the fuels, and reduces how much sulphur dioxide, SO2, is released when the fuel is burned.
Adam’s work involved creating the intercalated compounds, then examining them using a number of techniques including Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). These methods allowed him to see whether the compounds were inserted correctly into the host molecule, and also to look at their chemical properties.
Student Research