Chemistry

Robert L Fuller

Adjunct Professor, Chemistry
Chemistry

Robert L Fuller

Adjunct Professor, Chemistry

Education

  • B.S., Muhlenberg College
  • Ph.D., Princeton University

Teaching Interests

I have taught General Chemistry, Consumer Products and Fragrance Chemistry courses. I am a firm believer of applying the knowledge from the classroom into hands-on research experiences.

Research and Scholarship

My primary research interest is the physical chemistry associated with fragrances. The chemistry of fragrances is an exciting and diverse field touching on all of the disciplines within chemistry and several areas outside what is commonly perceived as chemistry. My research is designed to advance an often folkloric understanding of fragrances into a quantitative science by physicochemical measurements and modeling. For example, materials understood by perfumers as “fixatives” can be modeled as ingredients that weakly bond to other fragrance materials slowing down their release (reducing vapor pressure). An understanding of the nature and degree of the chemical bonding should help identify the best performing fixatives for a given fragrance material. Interests include the evaporation of fragrances from surface, kinetics of acetal formation in ethanolic solutions, the slow release of fragrances via degradation of precursor molecules, and fragrance partitioning in micellar systems.

  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research - Analyzing Patchouli Oil
  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research - Evaporation Kinetics of Fragrances
  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research - Olfactory Evaluation
  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research - Rheological Measurement
  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research - Worm Analysis Research
  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research: Patchouli Oil
  • Chemistry Independent Study/Research: Worm Analysis Research
  • Dana Scholars Directed Studies - GCMS Analysis of Acetals
  • Dana Scholars Directed Studies: GCMS Analysis of Acetals

Victoria Brady*, GC-MS Analysis of Acetal Formation Kinetics in Fine Fragrances, Intercollegiate Student Chemists (ISC) Convention 2025.

Dario Lewczyk*, Jesse Cohan*, Melanie Goetz*, Brendan Trafford*, Robert L. Fuller and Justin R. Sparks; “Kinetic Treatment of Evaporation via Thermogravimetric Analysis: The Case of d-Limonene” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 59 (2020) 15069-15074.

Dario Lewczyk*, Fragrance Release from PEG-400 via Thermogravimetric Analysis, SCC Annual Meeting 2019.

Jesse Cohan*, Thermogravimetric Analysis of Fragrances, Intercollegiate Student Chemists (ISC) Convention 2018 (award winner).

Abby Lavofski*, Vapor-Liquid Equilibria in Binary Fragrance Mixtures, Intercollegiate Student Chemists (ISC) Convention 2016 (award winner).

Chemistry