Start Date
4-3-2024 3:45 PM
End Date
4-3-2024 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Fluorine incorporation into organic chemicals is ubiquitous. There are many mass produced chemicals, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and medical contrast agents, containing one or more fluorine atoms that are released into the environment. Upon photolysis or oxidative treatment in aquatic systems, persistent fluorinated byproducts or fluoride from pesticides and pharmaceuticals are formed depending on the type and stability of the fluorine-containing functional group. Byproduct quantification was performed using 19F-NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Some motifs are persistent, generating new PFAS, while others degrade to fluoride. These results will assist in the future optimization of water treatment methods and development of pharmaceutical/pesticide structures to reduce persistent byproduct formation.
Biography
William Arnold’s research focuses on the fate of organic chemicals in natural and engineered aquatic systems. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT (1994), M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Yale (1995) and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins (1999). He then joined the U of MN faculty. For the 2023-2024 academic year, he is a Distinguished Teaching Professor at Princeton University. He has won both the AEESP Frontiers in Research Award and Outstanding Publication Award, and he was named as a 2023 Distinguished Engineer of the Year by the Minnesota Federation of Eng., Science, and Technology Societies.
Additional Links
ORCID
0000-0003-0814-5469
Fluorine beyond PFAS: Tracking fluorine during photolysis of fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceuticals
Fluorine incorporation into organic chemicals is ubiquitous. There are many mass produced chemicals, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and medical contrast agents, containing one or more fluorine atoms that are released into the environment. Upon photolysis or oxidative treatment in aquatic systems, persistent fluorinated byproducts or fluoride from pesticides and pharmaceuticals are formed depending on the type and stability of the fluorine-containing functional group. Byproduct quantification was performed using 19F-NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Some motifs are persistent, generating new PFAS, while others degrade to fluoride. These results will assist in the future optimization of water treatment methods and development of pharmaceutical/pesticide structures to reduce persistent byproduct formation.