Pharmaceuticals and pesticides are known to accumulate in waterways and runoff, but can be difficult to isolate and characterize due to low concentration and matrix effects. Furthermore, the pollutants may have been partially degraded prior to and after entering waterways, creating numerous analogues. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are capable of selectively adsorbing target molecules, allowing for extraction and concentration prior to analysis, but may be too selective to bind all of the degraded analogues present in waterways. This inability to bind all analogues limits a complete analysis of all species. MIP selectivity can be altered by varying the ratio of monomer to cross-linker. Aromatic hydrocarbons represent a large class of pollutants; aspirin and naphthalene were selected as representative pollutants. MIPs that bind aspirin or naphthalene derivatives were synthesized from methylacrylamide (MAC) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) via a bulk polymerization. The ratio of MAC to EGDMA was varied to alter MIP selectivity. MIP selectivity was determined by equilibrium binding experiments and the effect of crosslinker ratio on polymer selectivity was determined.

Synthesis of general molecularly imprinted polymers for aspirin and naphthalene derivatives

2019 Spring National Meeting

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