State University Assistant

Bradley Losey

Graduate Research Assistant - North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC

*******@****.*** - 423-***-****

Willing to relocate: Anywhere

Authorized to work in the US for any employer

WORK EXPERIENCE

Graduate Student

North Carolina State University - Raleigh, NC - August 2011 to Present

• Explored the nature of species present in solutions by examining the complexes formed, the hydration of ions, and their effects on the bulk structure of water.

• Contributed to the understanding of the liquid structure of the ZnCl2•3H2O hydrate melt.

• Examined the crystallization kinetics of the ZnCl2/H2O system to probe the effects of solvent exclusion.

• Investigated the mechanisms related to the dissolution of cellulose in concentrated zinc chloride solutions. Graduate Research Assistant

North Carolina State University - Raleigh, NC - 2011 to Present

• Explored the nature of species present in solutions by examining the complexes formed, the hydration of ions, and their effects on the bulk structure of water.

• Contributed to the understanding of the liquid structure of the ZnCl2•3H2O hydrate melt.

• Examined the crystallization kinetics of the ZnCl2/H2O system to probe the effects of solvent exclusion.

• Investigated the mechanisms related to the dissolution of cellulose in concentrated zinc chloride solutions. Teaching Assistant

North Carolina State University - 2016 to 2016

General Chemistry, Introductory Physical Chemistry, Systematic Inorganic Chemistry, Advanced Measurement Techniques

Research Technician

- June 2011 to August 2011

Studied the effects of the water splitting efficiency of CuNbO3 by varying the conditions during solid state synthesis.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

East Tennessee State University - East, Tennessee, US - 2010 to 2011 Worked to synthesize cost effective, environmentally friendly materials for the purpose of the removal of heavy metal ions from water.

Color/X-ray Analyst

Eastman Chemical Company - Kingsport, TN - June 2010 to August 2010 Analyzed materials related to the production of polymers at various stages of the manufacturing process. Analysis included X-ray fluorescence, UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy as well as particle size analysis. EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy in Inorganic Chemistry

North Carolina State University

May 2017

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

East Tennessee State University - East, Tennessee, US 2011

SKILLS

X-ray Diffraction (5 years), Neutron Diffraction (5 years), Raman Spectroscopy (4 years), UV-Vis Spectroscopy (7 years), Infrared Spectroscopy (6 years), NMR Spectroscopy (3 years), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (2 years), Microsoft Office (10+ years), HPLC (2 years), GC-MS (2 years) LINKS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-losey-54448250

AWARDS

Bereman Family Award for Teaching

May 2016

GROUPS

American Chemical Society

March 2008 to Present

PUBLICATIONS

From Rate Measurements to Mechanistic Data for Condensed Matter Reactions: A Case Study Using the Crystallization of [Zn(H2O)6][ZnCl4] http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/7/1/11/htm

December 2016

The kinetics of crystallization of the R = 3 hydrate of zinc chloride, [Zn(OH2)6][ZnCl4], is measured by time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction, time-resolved neutron diffraction, and by differential scanning calorimetry. It is shown that analysis of the rate data using the classic Kolmogorov, Johnson, Mehl, Avrami

(KJMA) kinetic model affords radically different rate constants for equivalent reaction conditions. Reintroducing the amount of sample measured by each method into the kinetic model, using our recently developed modified- KJMA model (M-KJMA), it is shown that each of these diverse rate measurement techniques can give the intrinsic, material specific rate constant, the velocity of the phase boundary, vpb. These data are then compared to the velocity of the crystallization front directly measured optically. The time-resolved diffraction methods uniquely monitor the loss of the liquid reactant and formation of the crystalline product demonstrating that the crystallization of this hydrate phase proceeds through no intermediate phases. The temperature dependent vpb data are then well fit to transition zone theory to extract activation parameters. These demonstrate that the rate-limiting component to this crystallization reaction is the ordering of the waters (or protons) of hydration into restricted positions of the crystalline lattice resulting in large negative entropy of activation. Ionic Liquid Character of Zinc Chloride Hydrates Define Solvent Characteristics that Afford the Solubility of Cellulose

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b11400 January 2016

The recently described ionic liquid structure of the three equivalent hydrate of zinc chloride (ZnCl2 R H2O, R = 3, existing as [Zn(OH2)6][ZnCl4]) explains the solubility of cellulose in this medium. Only hydrate compositions in the narrow range of 3 – x < R < 3 + x with x 1 dissolve cellulose. Once dissolved, the cellulose remains in solution up to the R = 9 hydrate. Neutron diffraction and differential pair distribution function analysis of cellulose and model compound solutions (1 wt % cellulose in the R = 3 hydrate and 1 wt % ethanol in the R = 3 hydrate and the ZnCl2 3 ethanol liquid) coupled with detailed solubility measurements suggest that cellulose solubility occurs via coordination of the primary OH to the hydrated zinc cation with ring hydroxyls forming part of a second coordination shell around the cation of the ionic liquid. Crystalline and Liquid Structure of Zinc Chloride Trihydrate: A Unique Ionic Liquid http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ic5024532

January 2015

The water/ZnCl2 phase diagram in the vicinity of the 75 mol % water composition is reported, demonstrating the existence of a congruently melting phase. Single crystals of this 3-equiv hydrate were grown, and the crystal structure of [Zn(OH2)6][ZnCl4] was determined. Synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction and IR and Raman spectroscopy along with reverse Monte Carlo modeling demonstrate that a CsCl-type packing of the molecular ions persists into the liquid state. Consistent with the crystalline and liquid structural data, IR spectroscopy demonstrates that the O–H bonds of coordinated water do not exhibit strong intermolecular hydrogen ion bonding but are significantly weakened because of the water’s coordination to Lewis acidic zinc ions. The O– H bond weakening makes this system a very strong hydrogen-bond donor, whereas the ionic packing along with the nonpolar geometry of the molecular ions makes this system a novel nonpolar, hydrogen-bonding, ionic liquid solvent.

Adsorption of heavy metal ions on mesoporous silica-modified montmorillonite containing a grafted chelate ligand

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169131712000622 May 2012

The objective of this work is development of a new adsorbent on the base of an organoclay with a chelating ligand covalently attached to the clay mineral surface. The presence of a chelating ligand in the clay structure significantly improves its ability to immobilize heavy metal ions from contaminated sludge of wastewater. Montmorillonite and kaolinite were chosen as typical examples of expandable and non-expandable clay minerals. A two-step modification procedure comprised of sequential modification with oxides and grafting of a chelating agent to the modified clay minerals was used. Modifications with silica and ferric oxide were conducted by reacting the dispersed raw clay minerals with tetraethoxysilane and ferric nitrate solution. A chelating ligand, N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine triacetic acid trisodium salt, was introduced into interlayer space of raw and modified clay minerals in aqueous solutions. Laboratory tests of the organoclay efficiency for purification of wastewater were conducted with the most promising sample, i.e., organoclay with the highest specific loading of chelating agent. Experiments were conducted with model wastewater containing either individual or mixed heavy metal ions. The modified organoclay displayed high adsorption capacity for heavy metal cations even in acidic media. The method of modification presented in this work can be used for synthesis of efficient adsorbents for applications in contaminated areas.

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