Biogenic monoamines such as dopamine play an important role as major neurotransmitters. Simultaneous determination of the concentration changes is thus crucial to understand brain function. Additionally, quantification of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) and their metabolites in biological fluids is an important issue for forensic tests, clinical toxicology and pharmaceutical analysis. We have developed two postcolumn luminescence detection methods coupled to a 2-dimensional-solid phase extraction (2D-SPE) system. The postcolumn reaction methods used in this study are the redox-dependent photoluminescence-following electron-transfer (PFET) and Fenton-based chemiluminescence techniques, for the determination of certain neurotransmitter and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). A stable [Os(tmphen)3]3+ (tmphen = 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) reagent was prepared in neutral aqueous solution by oxidation of [Os(tmphen)3]2+ with lead(IV) oxide. [Os(tmphen)3]2+ and [Os(tmphen)3]3+ are characterized by absorption spectroscopy. [Os(tmphen)3]3+ stability is compared with [Ru(tmphen)3]3+ in the same pH 7 environment. The properties of Os(III) and Ru(III) complexes were investigated for use as the oxidant in a PFET system. Studies of photophysical and electrochemical properties, the stability of the Os(III) and Ru(III) complexes, and analytical application in PFET detection of oxidizable analytes are presented. The spectroscopic properties of the complexes were not very advantageous, but careful control of the detection system and reaction conditions enabled sensitive detection of the analytes. The method was fully validated and the optimized system was capable of detecting dopamine and acetaminophen at about 30.2 µg L-1 and 33.5 µg L-1, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was 1.5 µg L-1 for acetaminophen and 4.3 µg L-1 for dopamine. The accuracy and precision were within bioanalytical method validation limits (90.9 to 101.5 % and RSD < 12.0 %, respectively). Typical analysis time was less than 15 minutes. Two Fenton-based flow-injection chemiluminescence (CL) methods were developed and validated for the determination of naproxen. Under the optimal experimental conditions the proposed methods exhibited advantages in a larger linear range from 2,760 ng mL-1 to 207,000 ng mL-1 for the first CL method and 41.4 ng mL-1 to 700.0 ng mL-1 for the second CL method. The LOD was 13.8 ng mL-1 for naproxen. The CL mechanisms for the system, H2O2-FeIIEDTA-naproxen was further studied by batch experiments, chemiluminescence spectroscopy, fluorometry, high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of various interferences commonly found in biological and wastewater systems on the chemiluminescence intensity were also investigated. We used these methods to determine NSAIDs in commercial pharmaceutical formulations. Another application of these method was for detecting NSAIDs in biological samples. A 2x-1-Dimensional Solid Phase Extraction (2x-1D SPE) method was developed for determination of acetaminophen and naproxen in urine. This method uses both the methanol concentration and the pH advantageously to preferentially isolate analytes of interest from complex sample matrix. These methods were fully validated and had sufficient sensitivity (limit of quantification: acetaminophen; 40.41 mg L-1 - 360.0 mg L-1 and naproxen; 23.03 mg L-1 - 214.8 mg L-1) for biological matrices and applications. / Chemistry

This dissertation elucidates a greater understanding of the vaporization and electrospray post-ionization mechanisms when using femtosecond laser pulses for desorption of surface molecules and electrospray ionization for capture and mass analysis of the gas phase ions. The internal energy deposition from nonresonant vaporization with femtosecond laser pulses was measured using dried and liquid samples of p-substituted benzylpyridinium ions and peptides. In the comparison of the experiments of using 800 nm and 1042 nm laser pulses, it was found that there are different vaporization mechanisms for dried and liquid samples. It was established that LEMS is a "soft" mass analysis technique as it resulted in comparable internal energy distributions to ESI-MS with one caveat; multiphoton excitation of dried samples results in extensive fragmentation at higher pulse energies. The quantitative aspects of the laser electrospray mass spectrometry (LEMS) technique were established using various multicomponent mixtures of small biomolecules. Experiments with LEMS resulted in similar quantitative characteristics to ESI-MS except that ESI-MS demonstrated a greater degree of ion suppression when using higher concentrations, particularly in the four-component mixture. The lack of ion suppression in the LEMS measurements was due to the ~1% neutral capture efficiency and most likely not a result of nonequilibrium partitioning. This was supported by the excess charge limit not being surpassed in the LEMS experiments and the quantitative analysis requiring the use of response factors. This dissertation also expanded upon the use of multivariate analysis for the classification of samples that were directly mass analyzed without any sample preparation using LEMS. A novel electrospray complexation mixture using cationic pairing agents, a lipid, and sodium acetate enabled the simultaneous detection of positive, neutral and negative charged features of inorganic-based explosive residues in a single experiment. This complexation mixture also enabled the detection of new features from an RDX-based propellant mixture. Principal component analysis (PCA) proved reliable for accurate classifications of the explosive mixtures. PCA was also used for accurate classification of eight phenotypes of Impatiens plant flower petals after mass analysis with LEMS. The PCA loading values were used to identify the key biomarkers in the classification. These important mass spectral features were identified as the biologically-relevant anthocyanins, which are phytochemicals that are responsible for the color of the flower petals. / Chemistry

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is formed when fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are burned in power producing plants. CO2 is naturally found in the atmosphere as part of the carbon cycle, however it becomes a primary greenhouse gas when human activities disturb this natural balanced cycle by increasing levels in the atmosphere. In light of this fact, greenhouse gas mitigation strategies have garnered a lot of attention. Carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) has emerged as a possible strategy to limit CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The technology involves capturing CO2 at the point sources, using it for other markets or transporting to geological formations for safe storage. This thesis aims to understand and probe the chemistry of the reactions between CO2 and iron-bearing sediments to ensure secure storage for millennia. The dissertation work presented here focused on trapping CO2 as a carbonate mineral as a permanent and secure method of CO2 storage. The research also explored the use of iron-bearing minerals found in the geological subsurface as candidates for trapping CO2 and sulfide gas mixtures as siderite (FeCO3) and iron sulfides. Carbon dioxide sequestration via the use of sulfide reductants of the iron oxyhydroxide polymorphs lepidocrocite, goethite and akaganeite with supercritical CO2 (scCO2) was investigated using in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The exposure of the different iron oxyhydroxides to aqueous sulfide in contact with scCO2 at ~70-100 ˚C resulted in the partial transformation of the minerals to siderite (FeCO3). The order of mineral reactivity with regard to siderite formation in the scCO2/sulfide environment was goethite < lepidocrocite ≤ akaganéite. Overall, the results suggested that the carbonation of lepidocrocite and akaganéite with a CO2 waste stream containing ~1-5% H2S would sequester both the carbon and sulfide efficiently. Hence, it might be possible to develop a process that could be associated with large CO2 point sources in locations without suitable sedimentary strata for subsurface sequestration. This thesis also investigates the effect of salinity on the reactions between a ferric-bearing oxide phase, aqueous sulfide, and scCO2. ATR-FTIR was again used as an in situ probe to follow product formation in the reaction environment. X-ray diffraction along with Rietveld refinement was used to determine the relative proportion of solid product phases. ATR-FTIR results showed the evolution of siderite (FeCO3) in solutions containing NaCl(aq) concentrations that varied from 0.10 to 4.0 M. The yield of siderite was greatest under solution ionic strength conditions associated with NaCl(aq) concentrations of 0.1-1 M (siderite yield 40% of solid product) and lowest at the highest ionic strength achieved with 4 M NaCl(aq) (20% of solid product). Based partly on thermochemical calculations, it is suggested that a decrease in the concentration of aqueous HCO3- and a corresponding increase in co-ion formation, (i.e., NaHCO3) with increasing NaCl(aq) concentration resulted in the decreasing yield of siderite product. At all the ionic strength conditions used in this study, the most abundant solid phase product present after reaction was hematite (Fe2O3) and pyrite (FeS2). The former product likely formed via dissolution/reprecipitation reactions, whereas the reductive dissolution of ferric iron by the aqueous sulfide likely preceded the formation of pyrite. These in situ experiments allowed the ability to follow the reaction chemistry between the iron oxyhr(oxide), aqueous sulfide and CO2 under conditions relevant to subsurface conditions. Furthermore, very important results from these small-scale experiments show this process can be a potentially superior and operable method for mitigating CO2 emissions. / Chemistry

The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), arising due to the collective oscillation of free electrons in metal nanoparticles, is a sensitive probe of the nanostructure and its surrounding dielectric medium. Synthetic strategies for developing surfactant free nanoparticles using ultrafast lasers providing direct access to the metallic surface that harvest the localized surface plasmons will be discussed first followed by the applications. It is well known that the hot carriers generated as a result of plasmonic excitation can participate and catalyze chemical reactions. One such reaction is the dissociation of hydrogen. By the virtue of plasmonic excitation, an inert metal like Au can become reactive enough to support the dissociation of hydrogen at room temperature, thereby making it possible to optically detect this explosive gas. The mechanism of sensing is still not well understood. However, a hypothesis is that the dissociation of hydrogen may lead to the formation of a metastable gold hydride with optical properties distinct from the initial Au nanostructures, causing a reversible increase in transmission and blue shift in LSPR. It will also be shown that by tracking the LSPR of bare Au nanoparticles grown on a substrate, the adsorption of halide ions on Au can be detected exclusively. The shift in LSPR frequency is attributed to changes in electron density rather than the morphology of the nanostructures, which is often the case. / Chemistry

The metabolism of amino acids produces important chemical signaling molecules called neurotransmitters, which are responsible for carrying out important actions within the human body. There are approximately one hundred identified neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitter study is important due to their involvement in biological, physiological, pharmacological, and pathological functions. Commonly employed methods for neurotransmitter detection are mainly based upon microdialysis. However, the methods suffer from disadvantages. Microdialysis fails to determine the absolute concentration of analytes and therefore requires it to be tied in with an analytical technique such as high performance liquid chromatography or capillary electrophoresis. Although high performance liquid chromatography is the most powerful analytical technique to date, it necessitates high maintenance and suffers from poor temporal resolution. While capillary electrophoresis affords more rapid separations than high performance liquid chromatography, it suffers from poor concentration limits of detection and requires large sample dilutions of highly conductive samples, such as biological fluids. Consequently, research is focused on detection of various amino acids and neurotransmitters employing novel analytical techniques along with traditional capillary electrophoresis. First, a method was developed using traditional capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection to detect two major excitatory neurotransmitters, glutamate and aspartate in planaria. The method was later applied to detect several biogenic amines using micellar electrokinetic chromatography with laser induced fluorescence detection in planaria to study the effect of feeding on the levels of biogenic amines within individual planaria homogenates. The concentration sensitivity issue of capillary electrophoresis led to the use of a new method for sensitive neurotransmitter measurements, gradient elution isotachophoresis. Gradient elution isotachophoresis is an efficient capillary-based enrichment and separation technique based on balancing hydrodynamic counter-flow against electrophoresis. Enrichment is achieved with the aid of high concentrations of leading electrolyte in the counter-flow solution that creates an ionic interface near the capillary inlet. Discrete electrolyte spacers or carrier ampholyte mixtures are used to separate analyte zones. The method was applied to the enrichment and separation of physiologically relevant concentrations of aspartate and glutamate labeled with dansyl chloride, phenyl isothiocyanate, or carboxyfluorescein, succinimidyl ester in artificial cerebrospinal fluid using ultraviolet absorbance detection. Finally, gradient elution isotachophoresis was combined with capillary zone electrophoresis to eliminate the use of spacers and provide rapid separations and enrichment. The technique was applied for the detection of biogenic amines in a glass microfluidic device. / Chemistry

This dissertation research work focuses on the investigation of novel donor-acceptor systems elucidating their photochemical properties, anion binding, and their potential application in the development of artificial photosynthetic systems. The explored systems are based on oxoporphyrinogen (OxPs), porphyrins, fullerene, and boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) based donor-acceptor systems. The photochemical properties of novel molecular systems were elucidated using UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, electrochemical methods, computational calculations, and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy. A novel BODIPY-oxoporphyrinogen dyad which is able to bind with fluoride anion promoting the excited state ultrafast electron and energy transfer events mimicking the primary events in natural photosynthesis was introduced. Further, self-assembly of supramolecular complexes based on oxoporphyrinogens, fullerene, and different zinc porphyrin dimers was explored. The formed self-assembled complexes have shown photoinduced electron transfer. A novel push-pull supramolecular construct based on the spiro-locked N-heterocycle-fused zinc porphyrin was studied. The excited state charge separation and stabilization of this push-pull system was enhanced by the complexation with fluoride anion. Also, the effect of BODIPY functionalization and linkers on the electron transfer properties of a series of carbazole–BODIPY and phenothiazine-BODIPY dyads were investigated. These findings are important to develop advanced and efficient BODIPY-based donor-acceptor systems for efficient light harvesting applications. The entire study aims to expand our understanding of these systems and contribute towards the advancement of sustainable energy technologies.

L’imagerie par spectrométrie de masse (IMS) est une technique en pleine expansion et utilisée dans beaucoup d’études effectuées sur des systèmes biologiques tels que la corrélation entre l’expression moléculaire et l’état de santé d’un tissu et pour étudier la biologie du développement. Cependant, plus particulièrement lors de l’analyse de protéines, seulement les molécules les plus abondantes et/ou les plus facilement ionisables seront détectées. L’une des approches utilisées pour éviter cette limitation est de transférer les protéines de manière sélective à partir d’une section tissulaire mince vers une surface fonctionnalisée tout en maintenant leur organisation spatiale. Dans ce cas, seulement les protéines possédant une affinité pour la surface seront alors retenues alors que les autres seront éliminées. Donc, la nature chimique de cette surface est critique. Les travaux de recherches présentés dans ce mémoire portent sur le développement d’une méthode de transfert des protéines d’une section tissulaire vers une surface composée de nitrocellulose. Cette méthode utilise un système permettant d’effectuer le transfert sans contact physique direct entre les surfaces. De plus, lors du transfert, une pression physique est appliquée. Dans une première approche, la méthode développée a été appliquée en utilisant une section de rein de souris comme échantillon modèle. Des sections sérielles ont été collectées, soit pour être colorées à l’aide d’hématoxyline et d’éosine (H&E) afin de démontrer la régiospécificité du transfert, soit pour être analysées directement par IMS afin de déterminer si les protéines détectées après transfert sont également détecter dans les sections analysées directement. Les résultats obtenus ont démontré qu’un sous-ensemble de protéines a été transféré tout en conservant leur position spatiale initiale dans les sections. Certains signaux observés pour les protéines transférées sont uniques et/ou sont nettement mieux détectés que lors de l’analyse directe d’une section. / Imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is a technique in full expansion that is used in a large range of studies such as the correlation between molecular expression and the health status of a tissue and developmental biology. A common limitation of the technology is that only the more abundant and/or more easily ionisable molecules are usually detected, in particular in protein analysis. One of the methods used to alleviate this limitation is the direct specific transfer of proteins from a tissue section to a functionalized surface with high spatial fidelity. In this case, only proteins with an affinity for the surface will be retained whereas others will be removed. The chemical nature of the surface is therefore critical. The research work presented in this document proposes a high spatial fidelity transfer method for proteins from a tissue section onto a nitrocellulose surface. The method uses a homebuilt apparatus that allows the transfer process to be done without any direct physical contact between the tissue section and the transfer surface while still using physical pressure to help protein migration. In subsequent work, the developed method was used to transfer proteins from a mouse kidney section onto the nitrocellulose surface. Serials sections were also collected either to be colored with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to assess the high spatial fidelity of the transfer process, or to be directly analyzed as a control sample to access the different signals detected after transfer. Results showed a high spatial fidelity transfer of a subset of proteins. Some of the detected transferred proteins were not observed after direct tissue analysis and/or showed an increase in sensitivity.

À cause de leurs propriétés antibactériennes, les nanoparticules d’argent sont couramment utilisées dans un grand nombre de produits tels les tissus, les savons et les produits médicaux. Dans cette industrie en pleine croissance, ces nanoparticules sont produites en grandes quantités et s’accumuleront éventuellement dans l’environnement. Pour comprendre le destin, le transport et la biodisponibilité des nanomatériaux, il est essentiel de comprendre leurs propriétés physicochimiques. Entre autres, il est particulièrement important de quantifier la dissolution des nanoparticules à l’aide de mesures de spéciation chimique. En effet, l’objectif de cette recherche est de déterminer la spéciation chimique des nanoparticules d’argent dans différents sols. Pour y parvenir, différentes concentrations de nanoparticules d’argent ont été incorporées dans un sol et après un certain laps de temps, la forme ionique a été mesurée à l’aide d’une électrode sélective d’argent tandis que l’argent total est mesuré par absorption atomique ou par ICP-MS. L’analyse de la spéciation dans trois sols différents révèle que les caractéristiques des sols influencent grandement la spéciation chimique, plus particulièrement la quantité de matière organique ainsi que le pH du sol. Ainsi, la tendance des résultats semble indiquer que plus un sol est acide, il y aura plus d’ions argent libres tandis que la matière organique adsorbe fortement les ions argent les rendant ainsi moins disponibles en solution. L’observation de la spéciation chimique à long terme indique aussi que les nanoparticules tendent à éventuellement se dissocier et ainsi émettre un plus grand nombre d’ions dans l’environnement. Ces résultats ont des implications importantes dans la détermination des risques environnementaux des nanoparticules métalliques. / Because of their antibacterial properties, silver nanoparticles are widely used in common items such as textiles, soaps and medical products. This practice has shown a drastic expansion during the last years thus leading to potential contamination of the environment by nanoparticles. To understand fate, transport and bioavailabity of nanoparticles, it is important to understand their physicochemical properties. More specifically, it is essential to quantify the dissolution of nanoparticles with chemical speciation measurements. The aim of this study is to quantify the speciation of silver nanoparticles in different soils. Different concentrations of silver nanoparticles have been injected in soil and after a specific time, the ionic form was measured with a silver specific electrode while total silver was quantified by atomic absorption or ICP-MS. Chemical speciation measurements in three different soils indicate that a soil’s properties has a large influence on the fate of silver nanoparticles, especially it’s pH and organic matter content. Results show that if a soil is acidic, it will lead to the release of more free silver ions while organic matter tends to adsorb ions making them less available. Over a six month period, nanoparticles seem to fix rapidly to soil solids but also seem to dissociate or oxidise over the months, leading to a greater amount of potentially bioavailable ions. These results have important implications to the determination of environmental risks of metal nanoparticles.

L’explosion de la nanotechnologie a permis l’intégration d’une multitude de nanoparticules dans des produits de consommation. Les nanoparticules d’argent (nAg) sont les plus utilisées à ces fins, selon les derniers recensements disponibles. La plupart des études toxicologiques, à ce jour, ont fait état de l’implication très évidente de l’ion Ag+ dans la toxicité aigüe des nAg; cependant, quelques études ont mis en évidence des effets toxicologiques dus aux nAg. Il y a un certain consensus à propos d’un risque de contamination des eaux douces via leur rejet par les effluents des réseaux d’aqueducs. Puisque les concentrations en Ag+ sont généralement très faibles dans les eaux douces (de l’ordre du pg L-1), de par la formation de complexes non-labiles avec des thiols (organiques et inorganiques) et des sulfures, la toxicité inhérente aux nAg pourrait ne pas être négligeable- comparativement aux tests en laboratoires. Cette étude s’intéressait donc aux mécanismes de bioaccumulation d’argent par l’algue verte C. reinhardtii suite à l’exposition à des nAg de 5 nm (enrobage d’acide polyacrylique). La bioaccumulation d’argent pour l’exposition à Ag+ servait de point de comparaison; également, les abondances de l’ARNm de l’isocitrate lyase 1 (ICL1) et de l’ARNm de Copper Transporter 2 (CTR2) étaient mesurées comme témoins biologiques de la bioaccumulation de Ag+. Les expériences ont été menées en présence d’un tampon organique (NaHEPES, 2 x 10-2 M; Ca2+, 5x 10-5 M) à pH de 7,00. Pour des expositions à temps fixe de 2 heures, la bioaccumulation d’argent pour nAg était supérieure à ce qui était prédit par sa concentration initiale en Ag+; cependant, il n’y avait pas de différence d’abondance des ARNm de ICL1 et de CTR2 entre nAg et Ag+. D’un autre côté, pour une exposition à temps variables, la bioaccumulation d’argent pour nAg était supérieure à ce qui était prédit par sa concentration initiale en Ag+ et une augmentation de l’abondance de l’ARNm de ICL1 était notée pour nAg. Cependant, il n’y avait aucune différence significative au niveau de l’abondance de l’ARNm de CTR2 entre nAg et une solution équivalente en Ag+. L’ajout d’un fort ligand organique (L-Cystéine; log K= 11,5) à une solution de nAg en diminuait radicalement la bioaccumulation d’argent par rapport à nAg-sans ajout de ligand. Par contre, l’abondance des ARNm de ICL1 et de CTR2 étaient stimulées significativement par rapport à une solution contrôle non-exposée à nAg, ni à Ag+. Les résultats suggéraient fortement que les nAg généraient des ions Ag+ au contact de C. reinhardtii. / The recent developments in nanotechnology have given rise to a new and increasing economical market where nanoparticles are at the forefront. Recent inventories of the nanoparticles-containing products have shown that silver nanoparticle- containing products are the most frequently used consumer nanomaterial. Due to the fear of a large scale contamination-and even pollution- of the aquatic environment from silver nanoparticles (nAg), studies have been conducted to assess their toxicities, which, in many cases, have been found to be mediated by the concomitant presence of Ag+. Notably, few studies have found evidence of toxicity due to the nAg, per se. Since numerous non-labile complexes are formed with Ag+ in freshwaters- especially with thiols and sulfides-, nAg toxicity might be more relevant in comparison to laboratory tests where the Ag+ tends to dominate toxicity studies. Therefore, this study investigated the mechanisms underlying silver bioaccumulation by the green alga, C. reinhardtii upon exposure to solutions of nAg (nominal size of 5 nm; poly-acrylate coating). Silver bioaccumulation upon exposures to the free ion alone served for comparison. In parallel, the abundance of two mRNAs- ICL1 and CTR2- were used to better understand the mechanisms underlying the bioaccumulation of Ag+ (and potentially nAg). The experiments were conducted in pH buffered solutions (NaHEPES, 2 x 10-2 M; Ca2+, 5x 10-5 M) at pH 7.00. For 2-hour exposures, the silver bioaccumulation for solutions of nAg exceeded what was expected from their Ag+ content only; however, no differences were noticed in the abundance of the expression of ICL1 and CTR2. For variable time exposures, the silver bioaccumulation for solutions of nAg exceeded what was expected from their Ag+ content only. Moreover, the expression of ICL1 was significantly higher for nAg than what was expected based upon an exposure to Ag+ only. When exposed to nAg, expression levels of CTR2 could be predicted from levels based solely on the Ag+ concentrations. The addition of a large excess of L-Cysteine, which is a very strong silver ligand (log K =11.5), to a nAg solution largely decreased silver bioaccumulation, however, bioaccumulation remained significant and the expression of both ICL1 and CTR2 were significantly higher than that of the control solutions (without Ag+). The results strongly suggest that nAg generated Ag+ ions when in contact with C. reinhardtii and that the nAg released to freshwaters might exert its toxicity through organism-contact-dependant release of Ag+.

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