Name: Yael Eiben
Class Year: 2023
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: York, PA
Internship Organization: Bryn Mawr College Summer Science Research
Job Title: Undergraduate Researcher
Location: Bryn Mawr, PA
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
I’ve been working on the synthesis of palladium precatalysts supported by various bidentate ligands and am working towards an investigation of their catalytic abilities. Palladium precatalysts have become central to the improvement of a variety of catalytic transformations, but specifically, cross-coupling reactions. I’m working to synthesize and fully characterize a library of palladium precatalyst complexes supported by three different types of bidentate ligand: phosphine (P / P) ligands, analogues of bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC / NHC) ligands, as well as analogues of bidentate phosphine / N-heterocyclic carbene (P / NHC) ligands. I generated a small library of P / P ligands last semester, so I focused on synthesizing the P / NHC and NHC / NHC ligands this summer. After making these ligands, I moved on to generating novel indenyl-based palladium precatalysts. I saw some success with my P / NHC system at the end of the summer, so I’m excited to get back to working with that in the fall!
Why did you apply for this internship?
I’m happiest when I’m in the lab. I love doing synthetic chemistry, and I’ve been interested in research for a while. I started working with Dr. Melvin during my sophomore year, where I volunteered in his lab a few hours per week. This turned into a more regular experience during my junior year where I took supervised research for credit. I worked on our lab’s deoxyfluorination project for a while before starting on the organometallic chemistry project last spring. I quickly found a passion for organometallic chemistry, so I was thrilled when Dr. Melvin talked to me about the Summer Science Research program. It’s given me the opportunity to expand upon my academic year research and a head start on my senior thesis, while preparing me for graduate school. I definitely see myself pursuing a career in research in the future.
Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?
I’ve learned new organic lab techniques this summer, while also solidifying existing skills. Something that I’ve really loved about a 9-5 work experience is being able to spend more time in the lab. Literature may suggest that a reaction should work, but research rarely goes to plan – especially on the first try! Having more time with my chemistry has given me a lot of independence and confidence in the lab. It’s taught me how to troubleshoot reactions, thoroughly analyze my data, and think about what each step of my syntheses really means in the grand scheme of my project. I also spent a lot of time doing literature searches to inform myself on what’s already been done in my field, so that I can take this knowledge and formulate my own ideas about what to try next. Each of these skills are incredibly valuable in preparing me for writing my senior thesis this year, and I know they will also follow me to graduate school and into my career.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
As I mentioned earlier, research often doesn’t go to plan. Patience is a crucial skill for a researcher. Some reactions work after a few tries, while others maybe work after a dozen. After a reaction, I analyze my compounds by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to confirm their identities. Getting a clean spectrum with the right number of protons or a clear phosphorus signal—both of which suggest that I’ve made the compound I was aiming to synthesize—is the best feeling ever.
The end of my internship was particularly rewarding, as the Melvin lab published our first paper! A publication was a wonderful culmination of our work on the deoxyfluorination project.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.