Sulphur

Carol Parish, professor of chemistry, works with Sulphur, Element 16, as part of her research on alternative energy.

Parish has published on the high temperature decomposition of sulfur containing model compounds for alternative energy, a project which is currently receiving research support from the National Science Foundation.

“The primary goal of this research project is to better understand the molecular behavior of asphaltenes, a molecular substance found in crude oil,” Parish explains. “Specifically, we will be looking at results from high temperature decomposition and combustion reactions, which play important roles in astrochemistry, combustion chemistry, soot formation, and cancer antibiotics to name a few.”

Parish, a nationally recognized leader in computational and theoretical chemistry, focuses on understanding the molecular behavior of energy-related materials as well as understanding the atomistic behavior of biomolecules.

In fact, her work covers many of the elements, including Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Chlorine, Iodine, and others.

Contact Sunni Brown, director of media and public relations, at sbrown5@richmond.edu to connect with Parish.