Research Initiation Award: Arsenic speciation in sulfidic environments

研究启动奖为历史悠久的黑人学院和大学的初级和职业生涯中期教师提供支持，这些教师正在建立新的研究计划或重新定向和重建现有的研究计划。预计该奖项有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和有效性，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究经验。Voorhees学院的项目可能在许多领域产生更广泛的影响。该项目的目标是开发一种分析方法，用于分析自然环境中各种砷物种的形态，特别是那些硫化物水平较高的物种。该项目还将加强Voorhees学院本科生的研究经验和培训，并承诺通过公共教育和市政设施的环境监测服务，在学院和当地社区之间提供合作。天然水环境中常见的砷物种包括亚砷酸盐、砷酸盐、一甲基砷酸和二甲基砷酸。另一种类型的砷，硫代砷酸盐，最近在硫化物水平较高的环境中被发现。该项目寻求同时检测硫代砷酸盐物种以及常见的无机和有机砷物种，这是以前从未报道过的。该项目将包括三个阶段。首先，将探索液相色谱技术，以确定其对无机和有机砷分析的分离和分析的适用性。基于色谱和质谱学的方法学将被开发和验证。然后，将进行实验室实验，分析模拟硫化物水中砷的形态，最后收集并分析现场样品，以调查砷在真实硫化物环境中的去向。硫代砷酸盐形态的发生机制和去向迁移的研究结果将为制定硫化物环境中砷迁移的控制和修复策略提供有益的背景。

Research Initiation Awards provide support for junior and mid-career faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are building new research programs or redirecting and rebuilding existing research programs. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at his home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences. The project at Voorhees College has potential broader impacts in a number of areas. The goal of the project is develop an analytical methodology for the speciation analysis of various arsenic species in the natural environment, particularly those with high sulfide levels. The project will also enhance the research experience and training of undergraduate students at Voorhees College and promises to provide collaboration between the College and the local community through public education and environmental monitoring services for municipal facilities. Commonly encountered arsenic species in natural aquatic environments include arsenite, arsenate , monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid. Another type of arsenic species,thioarsenates, has been found recently in environments with high sulfide levels. This project seeks the simultaneous detection of thioarsenate species and common inorganic and organic arsenic species, which has not been previously reported. The project will consist of three stages. First liquid chromatographic techniques will be explored to determine their suitability for the separation and analysis of both inorganic and organic arsenic analysis. A methodology based on chromatography and mass spectrometry will be developed and validated. Then, laboratory experiments will be conducted to analyze arsenic speciation in simulated sulfidic waters, and finally field samples will be collected and analyzed to investigate the fate of arsenic in real sulfidic environments. The occurrence mechanisms and the results on the fate and transport of thioarsenate species will provide helpful background for the development of strategies in controlling and remediating arsenic mobilization in a sulfidic environment.