ETH - IBP - Environmental Chemistry

Prof. Kristopher McNeill, Chair
Dr. Michael Sander, Group Leader

The Environmental Chemistry group at ETH studies the fate of organic molecules in aquatic systems, focusing on photochemical transformation reactions, emerging contaminants, and the environmental chemistry of biomacromolecules.

Group News You can also follow Kris McNeill on Twitter
	April 30, 2012 Antioxidant properties of humic substances What is the quantity and what are the identities of the major electron donating groups in humic substances under oxic conditions, like those found in surface waters? New work by Dr. Michael Aeschbacher of the Sander group using a novel electrochemical approach (see also February 12, 2012 news item) shows a variety of moieties can be irreversibly oxidized, but that phenolic moieties are likely the major electron donating groups in humic substances. The paper currently appears as an ASAP article on the Environ. Sci. Technol. website. Antioxidant Properties of Humic Substances M. Aeschbacher, C. Graf, R.P. Schwarzenbach, and M. Sander, Env. Sci. Technol. 2012, DOI: 10.1021/es300039h http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es300039h
	April 27, 2012 New review article on ROS detection methods A new compilation of methods for the detection of reactive oxygen species in aqueous environments has just been published online in Aquatic Sciences. The effort was led by Dr. Justina Burns and features work from twelve co-authors. Methods for reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection in aqueous environments J.M. Burns, W.J. Cooper, J.L. Ferry, D.W. King, B.P. DiMento, K. McNeill, C.J. Miller, W.L. Miller, b.M. Peake, S.A. Rusak, A.L. Rose, T.D. Waite Aquat Sci 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s00027-012-0251-x http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00027-012-0251-x
	March 19, 2012 Reduced and oxidized humic substances display similar sorption properties How well do sorption coefficients determined under oxic conditions in the laboratory correspond to those found under reducing conditions, such as in an anoxic aquifer? The work of Dr. Michael Aeschbacher of the Sander group indicates that they correspond well, and one can therefore use the laboratory coefficients to model anoxic systems. The paper appears today on the Environ. Sci. Technol. website. Assessing the Effect of Humic Acid Redox State on Organic Pollutant Sorption by Combined Electrochemical Reduction and Sorption Experiments M. Aeschbacher, S. H. Brunner, R. P. Schwarzenbach, M. Sander, Env. Sci. Technol. 2012, DOI: 10.1021/es204496d http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es204496d
	February 12, 2012 Sander Group paper among top cited in Env. Sci. Technol. We have received word that Michael Aeschbacher's 2010 article in Env. Sci. Technol. has broken into the top 20 most cited papers of the last three years. See the entire list here, and follow the link below for the original paper. Novel Electrochemical Approach to Assess the Redox Properties of Humic Substances M. Aeschbacher, M. Sander, R. P. Schwarzenbach, Env. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 87-93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es902627p
	February 9, 2012 Isolable Co(I) complex prepared Elodie Marlier has a new paper in Inorganic Chemistry describing the successful culmination of a multi-year effort in our laboratory to prepare a ligand capable of supporting cobalt in the +1 oxidation state. This oxidation state is the key one responsible for the reactivity of Vitamin B₁₂ toward chlorinated pollutants, and thus relevant to natural microbial remediation and possibly engineered clean-up schemes. Synthesis and Reactivity of an Isolable Cobalt(I) Complex Containing a β-Diketiminate-Based Acyclic Tetradentate Ligand E.E. Marlier, B.A. Ulrich, K. McNeill Inorg. Chem. 2012, DOI:10.1021/ic201780c http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ic201780c
	January 21, 2012 Dark production of hydroxyl radical Sarah Page has a new paper in Environmental Science & Technology demonstrating that hydroxyl radical is formed upon O₂ oxidation of reduced humic acid isolates. The yields are significant, ranging from 42 to 160 mmol hydroxyl per mole of electrons. The formation of hydroxyl radical likely involves hydrogen peroxide as reaction intermediate. This reaction has potential importance to biogeochemical cycles and pollutant dynamics at oxic/anoxic boundaries where organic matter is present. In fact, the concentrations of hydroxyl radical formed are substantially higher than what has normally been observed for photochemical production of hydroxyl radical from humic substances. Hydroxyl Radical Formation upon Oxidation of Reduced Humic Acids by Oxygen in the Dark S.E. Page, M. Sander, W. A. Arnold, K. McNeill Environ. Sci. Technol. 2012, DOI:10.1021/es203836f http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es203836f
	October 10, 2011 Dr. Michael Aeschbacher! Congratulations are in order for our newest PhD, Dr. Michael Aeschbacher. Michi successfully defended his thesis entitled "Electrochemical Redox Characterization of Humic Substances", which was supervised by Dr. Michael Sander and Prof. René Schwarzenbach. Here he is pictured enjoying a well-deserved break in the Valais. Congratulations, Michi!

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