Cameron Ray | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name:  Cameron Ray
Title: Optimizing Extraction Methods to Quantify Pesticides in Atmospheric Deposition
Major: Chemistry
Advisor: Jennifer Faust

The primary objective of this research project is to investigate the concentrations of pesticides that are in the environment and the risks that they present. Pesticides can cause harm to ecosystems, can contaminate our everyday foods, can increase risk of cancer, and can have a negative impact on humans’ immune system. This research will be focused on method development to detect the herbicide acid, 2,4-dicholorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in rainwater. Herbicide acids are chemicals used to control the spread of weeds and 2,4-D is specifically used to kill broadleaf weeds without harming grass. It is hypothesized that pesticides will be detected in the Ohio rainwater. To prepare to test the hypothesis, four different methods were used to develop analysis methods. These were tested using liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QToF-MS) and liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS) which are analytical techniques used to identify and quantify chemical compounds in complex samples. These techniques were used in attempt to find the most suitable method for detecting herbicide acids. Following the method selection process, solid phase extraction (SPE), an analytical technique used to separate components of a liquid sample, was used to to separate the rainwater from the contaminants and prepare them for instrument analysis. Percent recoveries, or the number of herbicides retained following SPE, for these samples were calculated to be zero percent which is not great. Poor results could be because of a high detection limit meaning the instrument used can only detect herbicides that are in high concentration (also bad), or the loss of herbicides from SPE or filtration processes. Studies on the environmental issue of pesticides do exist in Ohio, but not for herbicide acids therefore, the goal of identifying and quantifying herbicide acids in Ohio rainwater serves as a future work point.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.