Samson Hill (Chemistry major ‘26) participated in the Summer Scholars program conducting research with Roanoke College chemistry professor, Dr. Daniel Nasrallah and his lab partners, Alexis Hamilton and Ben Cerkovnik. His project, Transition Metal Free N-atom Transfer Reactions with Diaziridinium Salts, aims to support the development of methods to form carbon-nitrogen bonds; these bonds are vital to society as they are used in pharmaceuticals often. Previous knowledge of methods includes forming these bonds using transition metal catalysis. However, these metals tend to be toxic and expensive, so Samson’s project seeks to synthesize non-toxic and inexpensive organic molecules that can facilitate these reactions in place of using transition metals. Samson applied for the Summer Scholars program to gain experience working on chemistry research in a laboratory environment and contribute to scientific knowledge. During his time over the summer, Samson gained valuable skills such as designing and performing experiments with the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. Upon graduation, Samson plans to apply to a chemistry PhD program. He would like to thank Dr. Nasrallah, Alexis Hamilton, Ben Cerkovnik, the Summer Scholars program, and the Roanoke College chemistry department.
Congratulations on all your hard work!
