Conversion of photostable Zn-MA crystals to photoreactive

Ac Pit

Skin cancer is an issue that is increasingly plaguing the world. At least 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, and the disease kills over 2,500 people each year in the United Kingdom(UK). 86% died of melanoma, a particular type of skin cancer, cases in the UK are preventable. In addition, around 99% of non-melanoma skin cancers and 95% of melanoma is caused by overexposure to UV radiation. We feel that the key to reducing the number of skin cancer cases would be to raise the awareness of people’s exposure to UV rays. A feasible way to do so is to synthesize affordable photoreactive crystals which can be placed in accessories such as watches or phone covers to alert wearers or users when the level of their exposure to UV rays puts them at risk of skin cancer. Such crystals when placed, will change colour when it comes into contact with UV light. The longer it is exposed to UV rays, the greater the difference. The method of slow evaporation was used to synthesize Zn-MA Crystals, using zinc(II) chloride, maleic acid and ethyl acetate. Methods such as grinding and heating were then used on the synthesized crystals to convert synthesized photostable crystals to photoreactive. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy was then performed to see if crystals became photoreactive. Based on the NMR spectrums, we could conclude that the crystals did not go through [2+2] photodimerization when heated but went through small extents of photodimerization when ground or when heated and ground together.