34th Annual Student Research Conference
Method Development of Iron Analysis Using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy for Filtered Rain Water
Allison B. Esselman* and Elise D. Stuertz
Dr. Brittany Hagenhoff , Faculty Mentor
Outside of La Plata, Missouri, there is a small community that lives a sustainable lifestyle, which includes collecting rainwater to drink, which is filtered before consumption. However, unfiltered water is used when cooking, cleaning, and bathing. Residents and visitors have reported fatigue and nausea with no known cause. This prompted an investigation into the quality of their water. Samples include pre- and post-filtered water from four homes, four ponds, and one homemade sustainable filter. The water samples will be tested for a variety of heavy metals via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy, but first, an accurate method of detection needs to be developed. Iron detection was first studied by modifying samples with known concentrations of iron with varying concentrations of magnesium nitrate. By altering instrument methods and matrix effects, an accurate method of detecting iron with a small margin of error was developed.
Keywords: Water Quality, Sustaible, Rain Water, Analytical Techniques, Quality Assurance, Method Development
Topic(s):Chemistry
Presentation Type: Asynchronous Virtual Oral Presentation
Session: 6-5
Location: https://flipgrid.com/ebc10430
Time: 0:00