Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Andrew Hwang Rose Hills

Activation and selectivity pathways for nitric oxide reduction by hydrogen over noble metal catalysts

Nitric oxide (NO) is a toxic by-product of fossil fuel combustion known to cause lung infection and respiratory allergies. The catalytic reduction of NO by H2 over noble metal catalysts (e.g. platinum, rhodium, and palladium) is an effective means to remove this environmental toxin; however, the reaction mechanism is poorly understood. We aim to develop a set of elementary reaction steps describing the reaction pathway by measuring steady-state reaction rates. We plan to measure isotopic exchange rates and kinetic isotope effects and perform in situ infrared spectroscopy to evaluate the validity of our proposed mechanism.

Message To Sponsor

The SURF Rose Hills Fellowship allows me to continue my work as a full-time researcher and grow as a scientist. This experience is invaluable, especially as a prospective graduate student. I want to thank the donors for their generosity and LSAC for their guidance.