You mentioned that palladium’s metallic nature could have affected the absorbance measurements, was there another method you could have used other than spectroscopy to determine the palladium nanoparticle efficacy?
Hi Jake. Our lab was only capable of using the spectrophotometer to measure absorbance, but we hypothesize that if we could find a better way to dissolve our nanoparticles in solution we would get more accurate absorbance readings.
Thanks so much Jack. We would have to try solvents other than DMSO to dissolve the nanoparticles. We also tried ethanol, which wasn’t effective. Although we didn’t get the chance to try it, our research found that nitric acid may be an effective solvent.
You mentioned how light deflecting off the nanoparticles could have led to incorrect readings. Is there a way to account for this or would you have to measure the concentration of bacteria another way?
Hi Michael. I am not aware of any way to account for the light reflecting off of the particles. We tried to address the issue of reflection off of the particles by dissolving them in the most efficient way possible, but even in our best trial (100% DMSO used as a solvent), our absorbance readings were still inconsistent. However, I am eager to see if any future researchers try a different solvent, such as nitric acid, and are able to get more reliable readings.
Great presentation! Could you have used another negative control that had the same concentration of palladium nanoparticles to rule out your absorbance issues?
Great presentation! Could you have used another negative control with the same concentration of palladium nanoparticles as you added to your bacteria to rule out absorbance issues?
Thanks so much, Chris. To be used as a negative control, a substance has to be known to have no effect on the model organism. In theory, we could have used another substance that met this criteria as a negative control, but the concentration of nanoparticles in the negative control would have to be the same as the concentration used in DMSO and ampicillin. We tested several concentrations of nanoparticles in the negative controls (50% DMSO, ethanol, and 100% DMSO) in order to best dilute the particles. The trial with the most successful dilution, which was in 100% DMSO, is presented on our poster.
You mentioned that palladium’s metallic nature could have affected the absorbance measurements, was there another method you could have used other than spectroscopy to determine the palladium nanoparticle efficacy?
Hi Jake. Our lab was only capable of using the spectrophotometer to measure absorbance, but we hypothesize that if we could find a better way to dissolve our nanoparticles in solution we would get more accurate absorbance readings.
Great presentation. One question I have is how would you get the Palladium to dissolve in the DMSO properly if you were to continue this research?
Thanks so much Jack. We would have to try solvents other than DMSO to dissolve the nanoparticles. We also tried ethanol, which wasn’t effective. Although we didn’t get the chance to try it, our research found that nitric acid may be an effective solvent.
Are there possible substitutions for palladium nanoparticles?
Hi Emmaline. Our lab investigated potential new antibiotics, and our group chose to study palladium nanoparticles.
Are there possible substitutions for the palladium nanoparticles?
You mentioned how light deflecting off the nanoparticles could have led to incorrect readings. Is there a way to account for this or would you have to measure the concentration of bacteria another way?
Hi Michael. I am not aware of any way to account for the light reflecting off of the particles. We tried to address the issue of reflection off of the particles by dissolving them in the most efficient way possible, but even in our best trial (100% DMSO used as a solvent), our absorbance readings were still inconsistent. However, I am eager to see if any future researchers try a different solvent, such as nitric acid, and are able to get more reliable readings.
Great presentation! Could you have used another negative control that had the same concentration of palladium nanoparticles to rule out your absorbance issues?
Great presentation! Could you have used another negative control with the same concentration of palladium nanoparticles as you added to your bacteria to rule out absorbance issues?
Thanks so much, Chris. To be used as a negative control, a substance has to be known to have no effect on the model organism. In theory, we could have used another substance that met this criteria as a negative control, but the concentration of nanoparticles in the negative control would have to be the same as the concentration used in DMSO and ampicillin. We tested several concentrations of nanoparticles in the negative controls (50% DMSO, ethanol, and 100% DMSO) in order to best dilute the particles. The trial with the most successful dilution, which was in 100% DMSO, is presented on our poster.