Contamination of drinking water with selenium occurs through discharge of petroleum refineries/mines and erosion of natural deposits.  While small amounts of selenium are necessary for cellular function, too much selenium can lead to hair/fingernail loss and circulatory problems.  To address this issue, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a toxicity level for selenium of 50µg/L in drinking water.  While selenium has many oxidation states, the two which are most predominant in water are selenites (Se<sup>4+</sup>) and selenates (Se<sup>6+</sup>).  Water treatment methods, such as precipitation with ferric hydroxide, are effective for removing selenites from water; however the more water soluble selenates are difficult to remove using current water treatments.  This research aims to develop a technique to detect and possible remove toxic levels of selenate in water using boron Schiff-base complexes as molecular sensors.

Boron Schiff-Base complexes as detectors for toxic levels of selenate in water

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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