This CAREER award funded by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry program supports work by Professor Jared Anderson at The University of Toledo to develop novel microextraction approaches to study the solvent properties of ionic liquids - low melting point salts that possess many useful chemical and physical properties. Dr. Anderson's group examines the interactions of molecules with ionic liquids in order to study and design new classes of task-specific ionic liquids for applications in separation science. They also explore the ion-exchange properties of ionic liquids, with an aim of tuning extraction selectivity. The knowledge gained from this research will aid in the development of newly designed ionic liquids for various interdisciplinary applications, such as extracting sulfur-containing compounds from diesel fuels, selectively removing environmentally toxic metal ions, sequestering carbon dioxide, and regenerating cellulose for the production of bio-fuels.
Professor Anderson is also working to expand the undergraduate- and graduate-level chemistry curricula at The University of Toledo by modernization of the chromatography and separations laboratory. Professor Anderson is an active participant of the American Chemical Society Project SEED program, and actively recruits women and minorities through participation in various outreach programs. He is developing an internet-based interactive program to provide demonstrations of various science-related topics as a means of enhancing the public image of chemistry.
Funding from this grant was used to systematically study the use of ionic liquids (ILs) in the general field of sample preparation, develop new and innovative chemical methods using ILs, as well as train future generations of separation scientists. Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of liquid salts that have melting points at or near room temperature. Compared to traditional solvents that are often used in the separation or purification of molecules, liquid salts such as ILs possess a number of advantageous properties including their recycling capability, environmentally friendliness, and greater control over purifying and removing specific molecules from complex samples. In the course of this funded research, polymers of ionic liquids were developed and used in the extraction of environmental contaminants and pharmaceutical impurities. These polymeric ionic liquid materials were used in the trace determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), endocrine disruptors, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), personal care and pharmaceutical products, and short and long-chained aliphatic hydrocarbons in river and lake water samples. The techniques developed in this funded work were capable of extracting and quantifying these compounds at very low levels, which is especially important since many of these compounds are classified as contaminants or emerging contaminants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA). Polymeric ionic liquid materials were also developed to extract and quantify genotoxic impurities from pharmaceutical formulations. Genotoxic impurities are a class of highly regulated impurities by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA). In this funded work, polymeric ionic liquids were developed and used in the extraction and quantitation of two types of genotoxic impurities, alkylating and DNA intercalating agents. The approach developed in this work allowed for the rapid analysis of these compounds and at detection levels much lower than current what current FDA methods require. Based on the accumulated data, a working hypothesis was developed in the design and synthesis of the polymers and how they can be used for the rapid determination of other class of genotoxic impurities and pharmaceutical impurities. A novel and high throughput method was developed using UV light to initiate the polymerization reaction of ionic liquids. The resulting polymer is then used in a variety of extraction methods and is highly useful in the extraction of environmental contaminants from complex samples, such as salt water and bovine milk. The polymers produced through this method exhibit high stability and do not easily crack or leach from the support surface after long-term use. This approach will prove to be extremely useful in the preparation of a new generation of polymers that will likely see wide-spread use within many fields of science and engineering. The removal of borate ion and boric acid from water were accomplished through the design of carbohydrate-containing ionic liquids. The removal of boron-containing compounds in water is a tremendous challenge in many parts of the world. These compounds have a very high affinity to the boron-containing compounds in water and are currently being explored in the design of membrane materials that will eventually be used in the removal of boron from seawater. The funding permitted the training and education of 10 graduate students,6 undergraduate students, and 5 high school students. These students were trained in the synthesis of all compounds used in the experiments and well as the use of highly sophisticated instrumentation and analytical techniques. In addition, these future separation scientists presented their data at 15 conferences within the United States. From this funding, data was presented at a total of 60 oral and poster presentations by Dr. Anderson and his students at national and international conferences. A total of 38 peer-reviewed publications were published as a result of the NSF funding. These publications appear in a wide range of journals in the fields of analytical chemistry, bioanalytical chemistry, separation science, colloid and interface science, and broad interest chemistry journals. All of the graduate students involved in this research secured jobs immediately after graduating within the pharmacuetical, fine chemical, and petroleum industries. Many of the undergraduate students who were supported by this funding continued their education in graduate programs within the chemical sciences. Five high schools students were supported by this funding through the American Chemical Society Project SEED program. These students spent 8 weeks in the Anderson laboratory performing research. An internet-based outreach program was developed by this funding in an effort to enhance the interest of young children in the sciences. A Facebook page titled "All About Science" features videos recorded of undergraduate and graduate students who discuss interesting aspects of science to a broad audience. New videos are being recorded continously and are placed on the Facebook page for public viewing. The obtained results allowed for two world-wide patent applications to be filed and two invention disclosures to be issued.
