Monika Asztemborska

Determination of thallium forms in plant extracts by anion exchange chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection (IC-ICP-MS)

The speciation of thallium was investigated in the Indian mustard plant (Sinapis alba L.), hydroponically cultivated and in moss (Entondon schreberi) used as a bioindicator. The separation of thallium species was done using anion exchange chromatography coupled with on-line ICP-MS detection with 100 mmol L−1 ammonium acetate containing 5 mmol L−1 DTPA as a mobile phase. The study indicated that Tl(I) is the dominating form in plant extracts; Tl(III) was not detected. Three species of Tl were found in the leaves, two of them remained unidentified. Additionally, the fractionation study of Tl in organs of the Indian mustard plant using water, ammonium acetate containing DTPA and sodium dodecyl sulfate solutions was performed. The highest leaching efficiency was reached using an ammonium acetate/DTPA solution. Next, the efficiency of Tl transport from roots to stems and leaves and the accumulation factors were estimated. 80% of uptaken Tl was found in above-ground plant organs.

Single particle ICP-MS characterization of platinum nanoparticles uptake and bioaccumulation by Lepidium sativum and Sinapis alba plants

The increasing use of platinum in different forms including engineered nanoparticles (PtNPs) in a wide range of industrial applications and in particular in automotive catalysts is leading to a rising concern about their release and fate in the environment. This study investigates for the first time the uptake and fate of PtNPs by plants. Two model organisms Lepidium sativum and Sinapis alba were exposed to 70 nm PtNPs. An enzymatic digestion method was developed in order to extract intact PtNPs from the different plant tissues, optimizing different parameters in order to obtain the highest number of nanoparticles. Single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) was developed to provide information about nanoparticle size, nanoparticle number concentration and the presence of dissolved platinum in the samples. The enzymatic treatment allowed the extraction of PtNPs from the different tissues without changing their oxidation or aggregation state. The presence of PtNPs at the nominal size in all tissues from both plants was observed. PtNPs with higher sizes than the nominal one were observed as well, suggesting the occurrence of an aggregation process. The presence of platinum in the dissolved form was not detected.

Silver nanoparticle accumulation by aquatic organisms – neutron activation as a tool for the environmental fate of nanoparticles tracing

Abstract Water environments are noted as being some of the most exposed to the influence of toxic nanoparticles (NPs). Therefore, there is a growing need for the investigation of the accumulation and toxicity of NPs to aquatic organisms. In our studies neutron activation followed by gamma spectrometry and liquid scintillation counting were used for studying the accumulation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by freshwater larvae of Chironomus and fish Danio rerio. The influence of exposition time, concentration and the source of nanoparticles on the efficiency of AgNP accumulation were studied. It was found that AgNPs are efficiently accumulated by Chironomid larvae for the first 30 hours of exposition; then, the amount of silver nanoparticles decreases. The silver content in larvae increases together with the NP concentration in water. Larvae which have accumulated AgNPs can be a source of nanoparticles for fish and certainly higher levels of Ag in the trophic chain. In comparison with water contamination, silver nanoparticles are more efficiently accumulated if fish are fed with AgNP-contaminated food. Finally, it was concluded that the applied study strategy, including neutron activation of nanoparticles, is very useful technique for tracing the uptake and accumulation of NPs in organisms

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Circulation in an Aquatic Ecosystem

Nanotechnology is a dynamically developing field of scientific and industrial interest across the entire world, and the commercialization of nanoparticles (NPs) is rapidly expanding. Incorporation of nanotechnologies into a range of manufactured goods results in increasing concern regarding the subsequent release of engineered NPs into the environment. One of the biggest threats of using NPs is the transfer and magnification of these particles in the trophic chain. The aim of the studies was the evaluation of the distribution of TiO2 NP contamination in the aquatic ecosystem under laboratory conditions. Bioaccumulation of TiO2 NPs by plants (Elodea canadensis) and fish (Danio rerio) in the source of contamination was investigated. The studies were focused on the consequences of short-term water contamination with TiO2 NPs and the secondary contamination of the components of the investigated model ecosystem (plants, sediments). It was found that in the fish and the plants exposed to NP contamination, the amount of Ti was higher than in the control, indicating an effective bioaccumulation of NPs or ions originating from NPs. It was clearly shown that the NPs present in the sediments are available to plants and fish. Additionally, the aquatic plants, an important trophic level in the food chain, can accumulate NPs and be a source of NPs for higher organisms. It was concluded that even an incidental contamination of water by NPs may result in long-term consequences induced by the release of NPs.

Alumina Nanoparticles and Plants: Environmental Transformation, Bioaccumulation, and Phytotoxicity

Aluminum oxide (alumina, Al2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) are one of the most abundantly manufactured metal oxides on a nanoscale. Nanoparticles are attractive for industry because of their exceptional properties; however, they simultaneously pose a threat for the environment. The below chapter discusses possible alumina nanoparticle transformations in water and soil, bioaccumulation by plants of aluminum originating from nanoparticles, and the main aspects of Al2O3 NP phytotoxicity.

Diastereoselective Reaction of Buta-1,3-diene with Chiral Derivatives of Glyoxylic­ Acid: Effective Route to Optically Pure 2-Substituted 3,6-Dihydro-2H-pyrans

The influence of Lewis acids on the diastereoselectivity of [4+2] cycloaddition of buta-1,3-diene (4) to N-glyoxyloyl-(2R)-bornane-10,2-sultam (6a) and (R)-8-phenylmenthyl glyoxylate (6b) was investigated and found to have high levels of asymmetric induction. The highest asymmetric induction (ca. 100% de) was obtained for the reaction of 4 with 6b carried out in toluene and in the presence of chelating Lewis acids (SnCl 4 , TiCl 4 ).