Dr. Najat A. Saliba
Associate Professor
Analytical Chemistry
B.Sc., Lebanese University (1986); M.Sc., California State University, Long Beach (1994); Ph.D., University of Southern California (1999).
Office: Chemistry 508
Phone: 3992
E-mail: ns30@aub.edu.lb
Research
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Atmospheric chemistry: Mass and chemical speciation of coarse and fine particles indoors and outdoors.
Study of air pollutants involving the measurement of the levels, diurnal, and seasonal variations of low carbonyls, CO, SO2, and O3 in Lebanon.
Development of new analytical techniques for the determination of i) toxic components in arguileh smoke, and ii) thymoquinone; a preventive anti-cancer food additive, in blood.
Bioprospection research as part of the Initiative of Biodiversity Studies in Arid Regions (IBSAR): Extraction and identification of biologically active components isolated from several Lebanese endemic plants that have been known by folk medicine to have medicinal usage.
Extraction and identification of the chemical profile of essential oils from plants of high commercial value.
Community involvement and services:
Design of an essential oil's factory in North Lebanon as a part of an interdisciplinary proposal entitled "Holistic Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Use in Lebanon: Partnering with landowners".
Workshops related to pollution and environmental protection presented in several private and public schools in North Lebanon.
Selected Publications
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Physical and Chemical Variational Trends of Pinus brutia Essential Oils Based on Different Needles to Twigs Proportions, Journal of Essential Oil Research, accepted ( with M. Ghosn and S. Talhouk).
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Seasonal, Diurnal and Nocturnal Behaviors of Lower Carbonyl Compounds in the Urban Environment of Beirut, Lebanon, Atmospheric Chemistry, accepted (with S. Moussa).
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Concentration Measurements and Chemical Composition of PM10-2.5 and PM2.5 at a Coastal Site in Beirut, Lebanon, Atmospheric Environment 2004, 38, 523 (with H. Shaka).
Reaction of Gaseous Nitric Oxide with Nitric Acid on Silica Surfaces in the Presence of Water at Room Temperature, J. Phys. Chem. A. 2001, 105(45), 10339-10346 (with H. Yang, and B.J. Finlayson-Pitts) .