This dissertation will focus on the volatile compounds released upon the burning of incense which are numerous and varied. The first part of this dissertation is the gas chromatography-mass spectral (GC-MS) analysis of burning incense collected via solid phase microextraction (SPME) with the aim of developing a library of compounds found in incense as used in the Orthodox church. The second part of this dissertation has the aim of developing a method for forming oleic acid bilayer vesicle membranes and a fluorescence spectroscopy method by which the reactivities of these vesicles can be analyzed. These reactivities include permeability, fluidity, aggregation, and fusion of the membranes. One family of the volatile compounds found in incense are the terpenes and terpenoids. The reactivity of the terpenes and terpenoids found in incense will be analyzed using the oleic acid vesicles with the hypothesis that terpenes of the same structural groups will act similarly on oleic acid vesicle membranes and these reactivities can be related to mechanistic interactions.

Copyright © Laura A. Walther 2019