John Stubbs presents poster at Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation conference

John Stubbs, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, presented a poster at the Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation conference at the end of July in Mount Hood, Oregon.

The work included research carried out with student researcher Michael Huber (Biochemistry '13).  Titled "The influence of carbon dioxide on the solubility of polar and non-polar solutes in poly (ethylene glycol): A Monte Carlo simulation study," this project investigated how carbon dioxide changes the solvent properties of the polymer poly (ethylene glycol).

While non-polar molecules were not affected, polar ones were found to have increased solubility.  The results can be applied to environmentally-friendly reaction and separation systems that replace volatile organic compounds.