RTU student develops new molecules from birch bark compound betulin
A chemistry student at Riga Technical University, Elza Fedorovska, has defended a bachelor's thesis in which she created new molecules from betulin, a naturally occurring substance found in birch bark. The scope of the work has been described as comparable to a doctoral dissertation.
A chemistry student at Riga Technical University (RTU), Elza Fedorovska, has successfully defended a bachelor's thesis whose scope and complexity have been described as more fitting for a doctoral dissertation.
Betulin as the starting material
For her research, the student worked with betulin, a naturally occurring compound found in birch bark. Using this substance, she developed several new molecules.
An unusually ambitious bachelor's project
While bachelor's theses are typically more limited in scope, Fedorovska's work stood out for its complexity and scientific ambition, characteristics more commonly associated with doctoral-level research.
