Specimens of <i>Daphnia magna</i>, a small freshwater crustacean, were observed after being exposed to silver nanoparticles and 95% ethyl alcohol. The experiment was set exposing specimens to spring water, silver nanoparticles, 95% ethyl alcohol and a mixture of silver nanoparticles and 95% ethyl alcohol. The survival time, in minutes and seconds, after exposure of the specimens to the different substances was determined for each specimen. To determine the amount for a lethal dose, 15 µL of every substance tested was added at intervals of 30 seconds. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by reduction with sodium borium hydride. The size of silver nanoparticles, approximately 40.3 nm, was determined using Dynamic Light Scattering techniques. Comparative results indicate that specimens exposed to the silver nanoparticles had longer survival rates. Specimens exposed to spring water survived for approximately one hour with one minute (01:01:00.00), with ethyl alcohol a minute, thirty-four seconds and ninety-three milliseconds (01:34.93), with nanoparticles approximately two hours (02:00:00.00) and with nanoparticles mixed with ethyl alcohol lasted four minutes, forty seconds with thirty four milliseconds (04:40.34). This data shows that silver nanoparticles inhibit the effect of ethyl alcohol and enhancing the survival time of the specimens. The heart rate of the specimen exposed to ethyl alcohol decreases, while it increases with nanoparticles. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of concentration of nanoparticles mixed with the ethyl alcohol to determine the effect of the nanoparticles on heart rate.

Effect of silver nanoparticles and ethyl alcohol in specimens of Daphnia Magna

251st National Meeting (2016)

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