2020 SACNAS — THE NATIONAL DIVERSITY IN STEM VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ABSTRACT BOOK Student Poster Presentations Does Arsenic and Uranium in the Bedrock Affect Water Quality? Discipline: Geoscience Subdiscipline: Earth Science Clarene Davis*1; Clara Chang2; Benjamin Bostick2 and Paul Olsen2, (1)Dine College, (2)Columbia University Abstract: The Navajo Nation is located in the Four Corners regions of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Water quality is a major problem in the Navajo Nation. Poor water quality is critical to people using untreated private wells and affects regulated water systems regionally. The Navajo Nation is particularly affected by contamination related to mining rocks enriched in toxic metals. Most of these mines are abandoned and improperly remediated, and left behind elevated levels of uranium (U) and arsenic (As) metals in the water. The purpose of this project is to determine how geological sources of arsenic and uranium may contaminate the water. We hypothesized there is some relationship between bedrock chemistry and the water quality. We analyzed bedrock chemistry using X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) measurements on cores from the Colorado Plateau. XRF includes measurements of toxic elements such as U, As, and other elements important in regulating As and U solubility like Si and Fe. We compared XRF data to lithologic logs to determine the relationship between bedrock lithology and chemistry. We used QGIS to compare bedrock chemistry to As measurements in wells. Initial results show there is more As in the claystone than the sandstone. This is encouraging because water is more likely to flow through sand than clay, therefore, the most commonly used groundwater aquifer is less likely to be contaminated by the bedrock. However, water derived from the boundary between clay and sandstones may be susceptible to contamination because clays can contribute metals to the aquifer. Discipline: Chemistry Subdiscipline: Analytical Chemistry Adrian Colazo* and Christopher Harrison, San Diego State University Abstract: Performance enhancing methods are nothing new in the world of sports, and while there have been many advances in the way which we can detect for a range of doping methods, blood doping still remains at large a highly undetectable method, with autologous blood doping being especially difficult to detect. This is due to the fact that the red blood cells (RBCs) extracted, stored, and transfused back into the athlete originate from the athlete, making the transfused blood and the fresh blood nearly identical. Stored RBCs differ from fresh RBCs in some respects however, namely in the stored RBCs exposure to high concentrations of sugar during the storage period. The concentrations of sugars result in the surface proteins of RBCs undergoing non- enzymatic glycosylation. The glycosylation predominantly alters the terminal amines of the proteins, resulting in a change in the surface charge, and thus the isoelectric point of the stored RBCs. This change in isoelectric points can be exploited through isoelectric focusing (cIEF) as a means to provide a reliable way to detect blood doping. In order to perform a successful cIEF separation, it is imperative that the electroosmotic flow (EOF), or the movement of analyte due to the applied voltage, is suppressed so that the analytes can focus effectively on their isoelectric points. I will present the preliminary results of various capillary coatings used to suppress the EOF and as a result their effectiveness at separating the stored RBCs from fresh RBCs. Optimizing the Separation of an Antiparasitic Medication Using High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Discipline: Chemistry Subdiscipline: Analytical Chemistry Karis Barnett* and William LaCourse, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Abstract: Excess pharmaceutical waste in water is an emerging concern that can increase parasitic drug resistance, interrupt animal food chains, and threaten drinking water sources. A high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet (UV) detection (210 nm) is under development for sensitively quantifying antiparasitic drug praziquantel (PZQ) and related compound metronidazole (MET). This method has the potential to commercially monitor PZQ dosages administered to aquatic species, which can ultimately limit pharmaceutical waste in water. The separation of PZQ and MET in an antiparasitic medication was achieved on a Phenomenex™ Luna C18 analytical column (150 x 4.60mm, 5μm, 100A) using acetonitrile:water at alternating ratios of 20:80 v/v and 80:20 v/v as a mobile phase. The compounds were successfully separated with an optimized method. The polarity of the compounds and the protocol proposed by Vignaduzzo et al. (2015) were considered to optimize the method. The method may require further improvement for compounds in a seawater matrix. Future work also involves validating the method with analytical figures of merit (e.g. linearity, limit of detection, and relative standard deviation). The optimized and validated method can be proposed to aquariums and related organizations for commercial use. The Aroma Characterization of Eugenia brasiliensis Via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Discipline: Chemistry Subdiscipline: Analytical Chemistry Matthiew Haines*1; Florença Borges2 and Eduardo Purgatto2, (1)The Pennsylvania State University, (2)Universidade de São Paulo Abstract: Fruits native to South America have been used for centuries; however, these fruits have mostly gone unresearched. The ripening pattern, the production of volatile compounds, and their pigments have not been studied for their potential of bioactive compounds. This project aimed to characterize the profile of volatile compounds in a fruit native to southeastern Brazil, Eugenia brasiliensis, commonly known as grumixama. The fruits were harvested at three different ripening stages: green, intermediate, and mature, from Paraibuna, Brazil (23º23'10" S, 45º39'44" W), and stored at -80 ˚C. Each group of fruit was predicted to have differences in their chemical composition based on their ripening stage. Solid- phase microextraction (SPME) was used to analyze the samples in triplicates by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). The grumixama profiles were determined to contain aromatic compounds such as terpenes, alcohols, and aldehydes. The fruit in the intermediate stage had an increased concentration of dimethyl ether and acetaldehyde, which contributes to the fresh, fruity aroma of the unripe fruit. Hexanal was more prevalent in the ripened grumixama, along with acetoin and limonene, contributing to a sweet, citrusy aroma. The next steps in characterizing E. brasiliensis should focus on understanding the bioactive compounds and the nutritional or functional value for companies, such as those in the cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries. Future projects could also focus on the sensory-assisted breeding of E. brasiliensis. Using CE-SELEX to Evolve a ssDNA Aptamer for Nicotine Capture Discipline: Chemistry Subdiscipline: Analytical Chemistry Catrin Law* and Christopher Harrison, San Diego State University Abstract: Third-Hand Smoke (THS) remains on surfaces such as a car or home for weeks to months after the cessation of tobacco smoking, leaving behind a toxic mixture of chemicals, despite cleaning house-hold cleaning products. Those concerned about common surfaces, like rental housing, do not have a cost-effective, non-laboratory test readily available. We aim to create a simple testing device, akin to a home pregnancy test, available for consumers to use to test their homes and obtain semi-quantitative data about potential nicotine contamination (the most abundant molecule in THS). This poster will present our work of finding a nicotine aptamer through Capillary Electrophoresis-Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment (CE-SELEX). This is the process of identifying random oligonucleotide ssDNA sequences with an affinity for binding to nicotine, from within a large library of ssDNA and selectively evolving those sequences that bind to nicotine to have higher affinity. Once a selective aptamer has been identified we will incorporate it into a disposable device which exploits complexation reactions between nicotine and the ssDNA aptamer to quantify the nicotine contamination. Due to the limited electrophoretic mobility difference between free ssDNA and ssDNA bound to nicotine we are employing the Simul 5 Complex electrophoresis simulation software to determine optimal separation conditions. Identification of Degradation Products Formed from the Thermolysis of Glycerol and Terpenes in Aromatherapy Devices Discipline: Chemistry Subdiscipline: Analytical Chemistry Alisha Ortiz* and Robert Strongin, Portland State University Abstract: Degradation chemistry has been widely studied to assess the safety of aerosols in many fields. The study herein investigates the degradation products formed from MONQ personal aromatherapy devices- a new non-nicotine vape pen device on the market. These pens are marketed to alleviate symptoms of an unrecognized medical syndrome called “terpene deficiency”. These pens contain a glycerin (GL), or glycerol (VG), base and a blend of terpene-rich essential oils. Previous studies have investigated the degradation of both GL and terpenes and shown that concerning compounds are released in the gas phase, including benzene, benzaldehyde, methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone. Studies also conclude the formation of formaldehyde releasing agents (FRAs)