Biology major, Keon Jones, travelled to Missouri a couple weeks ago to attend the two-day (March 23 & 24) MoLSAMP (Missouri Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) Undergraduate Research Symposium. His poster describes research done last summer with chemistry student Abigail Praklet under the guidance of Professor Grace Muna. Harnessing the power of electrochemistry to develop methods to analyze the components and concentrations of solutions is standard practice and led to the development of pH meters long ago. But Jones' project takes a relatively new twist by incorporating nanoparticles of bismuth into the electrodes of the detection unit to increase sensitivity to lead. Jones' poster and presentation were well received at the symposium and we are proud to have him represent both the biology and chemistry departments, as well as the entire campus. Jones plans to continue researching this summer, but this time under an REU at another university studying molecular biology as his attention turns toward life after IU South Bend using his upcoming biology major. The abstract for his poster is given below.
A Sensitive Electrochemical Method to Determine Lead in Water and Soil
Keon Jones, Abigail Praklet, Professor Grace Muna
Lead is one of the most toxic heavy metal in the environment. Its presence is due to human activities such as the use of leaded gasoline before it was banned and lead in paint in older homes. Lead poisoning can cause a number of adverse human health effects but it’s particularly detrimental to the neurological development of growing children. Therefore, frequent testing and precise monitoring of Pb in the soil and water is important to assess and control lead contamination. We hereby report on developing a sensitive electrochemical method by using glassy carbon electrodes modified with bismuth nanoparticles (GC-BiNPs) to detect lead in drinking water and soil. Preliminary results show that with GC-BiNPs can detect low levels of lead down to 1 parts per billion in water. The developed method will be employed to detect lead in drinking water and soil. Preliminary results on the electrochemical method development will be presented.
A Sensitive Electrochemical Method to Determine Lead in Water and Soil
Keon Jones, Abigail Praklet, Professor Grace Muna
Lead is one of the most toxic heavy metal in the environment. Its presence is due to human activities such as the use of leaded gasoline before it was banned and lead in paint in older homes. Lead poisoning can cause a number of adverse human health effects but it’s particularly detrimental to the neurological development of growing children. Therefore, frequent testing and precise monitoring of Pb in the soil and water is important to assess and control lead contamination. We hereby report on developing a sensitive electrochemical method by using glassy carbon electrodes modified with bismuth nanoparticles (GC-BiNPs) to detect lead in drinking water and soil. Preliminary results show that with GC-BiNPs can detect low levels of lead down to 1 parts per billion in water. The developed method will be employed to detect lead in drinking water and soil. Preliminary results on the electrochemical method development will be presented.
