There is concern over the impact that petroleum related compounds (PRCs) associated with mining activity in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) are having on local wildlife. With the increase in oil sands mining activity in the AOSR there has been a corresponding decline in the fertility of indicator species in the AOSR. One of the primary sources of PRCs in the environment is oil sands process affected water (OSPW), which is stored in tailings ponds. Several PRCs, including naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFC), have endocrine disrupting effects, which may, in part, explain reduced fertility in indicator species. For example, male North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) living in areas impacted by mining activity have lower baculum strength those unaffected by mining activity. Weaker baculums are associated with increases in fracture rates and reduced fertility. Baculum strength is maintained throughout life by bone remodeling, a process that requires the differentiation of osteoblasts. NAFCs can impact several pathways integral to the development and path selection of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts or adipocytes. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to test the hypothesis that NAFCs inhibit osteoblast differentiation and induce adipocyte differentiation from progenitor cells. We exposed osteoblast progenitor cells and adipocyte progenitor cells to NAFCs. We demonstrated that NAFCs inhibit osteoblast differentiation and activate the glucocorticoid receptor pathway. We also found that NAFCs do not induce adipogenesis in adipocyte precursor cells. Lastly, we showed that NAFCs are PPARγ ligands that inhibit the expression of PPARγ associated genes. These insights into the effects of NAFCs on osteoblast and adipocyte progenitor cells suggest NAFCs may contribute to lower baculum strength and impaired adipose tissue function of animals living in the AOSR. These effects my reduce the fertility and population of wildlife in the AOSR. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / There is concern that chemicals from oil sands mining in the Athabasca oil sands region are hurting the reproductive health of animals in the wild. Some of these animals, including bears, wolves, and river otters, need a bone in their penis called a baculum to reproduce. Studies have shown that some chemicals, including those from mining activity can make the baculum bone weaker. For bone to stay strong, bone cells always need to be developing to fix the bone tissue. The goal of our study was to find how chemicals from mining activity can affect the development of bone cells. We found that a group of chemicals that come from oil sands mining called naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFCs) stop bone cells from developing and making new bone. We also know that having more fat cells in bone is associated with weaker bones. We also looked at whether NAFCs could increase the development of fat cells. However, NAFCs did not increase the development of fat cells. Together, this research shows that NAFCs can make bones like the baculum weaker by slowing the development of new bone, but not by increasing fat cells. Our research suggests that exposure to NAFCs may make baculums weaker which may be bad for the reproductive health of animals living near oil sands mining activity.

No description available.

<p>Grupno-strukturna analiza naftnih kiselina izolovanih iz srednjih uljnih&nbsp;komercijalnih frakcija vojvođanske nafte &bdquo;Velebit&rdquo; rađena je analizom IR-,&nbsp;¹H- i&nbsp;¹³C NMR- i ESI-MS spektara niske rezolucije. Određeno je &scaron;est klasa&nbsp;karboksilnih kiselina op&scaron;te molekulske formule C_nH_2n-ZO₂. To su karboksilne&nbsp;kiseline u opsegu masa 240-466 sa 15-31 C atoma u molekulu koje su&nbsp;grupisane u pet cikloalkil Z-serija: monociklična- (C_nH_2n-2O₂, 14.72%),&nbsp;biciklična- (C_nH_2n-4O₂, 34.63%), triciklična- (C_nH_2n-6O₂, 25.03%), tetraciklična- (C_nH_2n-8O₂, 10.04%), pentaciklična klasa karboksilnih kiselina (C_nH_2n-10O₂, 4.99%) i jedna alkanska klasa kiselina sa alkil grupama otvorenog niza (C_nH_2nO₂, 10.57%).</p><p>Razdvajanjem na bazi različite kiselosti i njihove rastvorljivosti u vodi na&nbsp;određenim pH vrednostima u rasponu od pH 2-10 dobijeno je devet užih&nbsp;frakcija kiselina. Ekstrakcijom sa etrom u vodi nerastvornih kiselina u rasponu&nbsp;od po jedne pH jedinice dobijena je sledeća distribucija masa: 9.57% (pH 10),&nbsp;12.69% (pH 9), 5.91% (pH 8), 4.85% (pH 7), 2.44% (pH 6), 11.71% (pH 5),&nbsp;23.94% (pH 4), 16.76% (pH 3) i 10.12% (pH 2). Razdvajanjem kiselina na bazi&nbsp;njihove kiselosti oko 50% mase kiselina ekstrahovano je od pH 2-4, znači u&nbsp;grupi jačih kiselina. Masenom spektrometrijom niske rezolucije ESI-MS na&nbsp;pH 4 vidi se da su u sme&scaron;i kiselina skoncentrisane kiseline sa vi&scaron;e prstenova u&nbsp;alkilnom delu sa maksimumom na tricikličnim kiselinama (36.50%), dok su&nbsp;pojedinačno najzastupljenije tetraciklične strukture kiselina C₂₀H₃₂O₂(4.43%) i&nbsp;C₂₁H₃₄O₂(4.56%). Na pH 8 biciklične- i triciklične strukture su zastupljene&nbsp;ukupno sa 65.02% sa maksimalno zastupljenim kiselinama sa 20-26 C atoma&nbsp;u molekulu, a izdvajaju se C₂₂H₃₈O₂ (5.26%)&nbsp;biciklične- i C₂₄H₄₂O₂(7.01%)&nbsp;triciklične strukure, a od tetracikličnih struktura kiselina izdvaja se C₂₄H₄₀O_2&nbsp;(4.77%). Na pH 10 najzastupljenije izolovane kiseline su aciklične, odnosno&nbsp;masne kiseline zastupljene sa 25.28%, a najdominantnije su strukture&nbsp;C₂₁H₄₂O₂ (4.83%), dok su ostale klase kiselina ujednačene po svom masenom&nbsp;udelu u odnosu na sastav u ukupnoj polaznoj sme&scaron;i kiselina.&nbsp;Drugi deo rada obuvata derivatizaciju izolovanih prirodnih naftnih kiselina.&nbsp;Sintetizovani su funkcionalni kiseonični metil-, etil-, n-butil-,&nbsp; terc-butil- i&nbsp;benzil-derivati naftnih kiselina kao i funkcionalni azotni derivati: amidi i anilidi&nbsp;naftnih kiselina. Sinteze navedenih estara rađene su klasičnim postupcima i&nbsp;modifikovanom metodom esterifikacije u kiselo-katalizovanim uslovima&nbsp;upotrebom mikrotalasa kao ko-katalizatora, &scaron;to je imalo za cilj skraćenje&nbsp;reakciong vremena i pobolj&scaron;anje ekolo&scaron;kih sintetskih uslova.<br />Modifikacijom sinteze metilnaftenata MT-zagrevanjem 48 puta je skraćeno&nbsp;vreme trajanja sinteze, prinosi ni promenom reakcionih parametara (vreme,&nbsp;snaga MT) nisu bitno promenjeni. Strukturnom analizom ESI-MS spektra&nbsp;polaznih kiselina i metilnaftenata dobijenih metilovanjem naftnih kiselina&nbsp;utvrđeno je da je odnos klasa u dobroj podudarnosti. Prinos estara u ovoj&nbsp;sintezi je 95.47%. Esterifikacija naftnih kiselina etil alkoholom rađena je u&nbsp;uslovima kisele katalize uz konvencionalno zagrevanje (91.76%), a&nbsp;modifikacijom metode MT-zagrevanjem (150 W) reakciono vreme je skaćeno&nbsp;96 puta (92.19%). Esterifikacija naftnih kiselina n-butil alkoholom rađena je uz&nbsp;sumpornu kiselinu kao katalizator i uz konvencionalno zagrevanje (94.24%), a&nbsp;u uslovima MT-zagrevanja (150 W) 72 puta je skraćeno reakciono vreme&nbsp;(61.15%). Sinteza terc-butilnaftenata rađena je prevođenjem naftnih kiselina u&nbsp;hloride a zatim reakcijom sa terc-butil alkoholom nastaju terc-butilnaftenati&nbsp;(80.17%). Modifikovanom metodom klasične reakcije esterifikacije naftnih&nbsp;kiselina terc-butil alkoholom katalizovanom sumpornom kiselinom u uslovima&nbsp;MT-zagrevanja (150 W) ostvaren je prinos od 85.49% a vreme trajanja reakcije&nbsp;je 5 minuta. Sinteza benzilnaftenata rađena je prevođenjem naftnih kiselina u&nbsp;hloride a zatim reakcijom sa benzil alkoholom nastaju benzilnaftenati&nbsp;(84.43%), a modifikovanom metodom klasične kiselo-katalizovane&nbsp;esterifikacije naftnih kiselina benzil alkoholom u uslovima MT-zagrevanja&nbsp;(150 W) ostvaren je prinos od 85.49% uz reakciono vreme od 5 minuta.&nbsp;Sinteza amida naftnih kiselina rađena je iz hlorida reakcijom sa amonijakom.&nbsp;Prinos čistih amida je 65.74%, a reakcija amidacije sa amonijakom trajala je&nbsp;15 minuta. Strukturnom analizom ESI-MS spektra amida naftnih kiselina&nbsp;utvrđen je grupno-strukturni sastav amida. Među strukturama amida naftenskih&nbsp;kiselina takođe su dominantne biciklične- i triciklične strukture, kao i u sme&scaron;i&nbsp;slobodnih kiselina. Sinteza anilida naftnih kiselina rađena je iz hlorida reakcijom sa anilinom. Prinos čistih anilida je 96.48%, a reakcija amidacije anilinom trajala je 30 minuta. Strukturnom analizom ESI-MS spektra anilida naftnih kiselina utvrđen je grupno-strukturni sastav proizvoda, anilida. Među strukturama anilida naftenskih kiselina takođe su dominantne biciklične- i triciklične strukture kao i u sme&scaron;i slobodnih kiselina.</p><p>U trećem delu ovog rada ispitivana je biolo&scaron;ka aktivnost naftnih kiselina&nbsp;auksinskog i giberelinskog tipa, njihov uticaj na ožiljavanje reznica,&nbsp;ukorenjivanje bočnih grana i mikroizdanaka biljaka, na aktivnost biljnih&nbsp;hormona, kao i na usvajanje metalnih jona kod biljaka.&nbsp;</p><p>Aktivnost naftenskih kiselina utvrđena je pomoću tri in vitro&nbsp; biolo&scaron;ka testa.&nbsp;&bdquo;Koleoptil test&rdquo;, rađen je na dva supstrata, odnosno na semenu ozime p&scaron;enice&nbsp;novosadske sorte Partizankai jare p&scaron;enice takođe novosadske sorte Venera.&nbsp;Referentna aktivnost u testu rađena je sa -naftilsirćetnom 3-indolsirćetnom&nbsp;kiselinom. U oba testa ustanovljen je približno isti odnos aktivnosti rastvora&nbsp;naftenskih kiselina i aktivnosti standardnih biljnih hormona. &bdquo;Test inhibicije&nbsp;klijanja&rdquo; semena rađen je sa semenom crne slačice, Brasscia nigra. Najveći&nbsp;uticaj naftenskih kiselina na inhibiciju klijanja postignut je u rasponu&nbsp;koncentracija kiselina od 10^-7&nbsp;-10^-8&nbsp;mol/L (0.05-0.01 mg/L). Testovi za &scaron;est užih&nbsp;frakcija dobijenih iz sme&scaron;e ukupnih kiselina razdvajanjem na bazi različite&nbsp;rastvorljivosti pri različitim pH vrednostima pokazuju istu aktivnost kao&nbsp;3-indolsirćetna kiselina (0.5 mg/L), a da je frakcija izdvojena iz vodenog&nbsp;rastvora na pH 7 takođe aktivna ali u poređenju sa 3-indolsirćetnom kiselinom&nbsp;to je 10 puta niža aktivnost. Hormonska aktivnost giberelenskog tipa ispitivanih&nbsp;kalijumovih soli naftenskih kiselina utvrđena je &bdquo;Endosperm testom&rdquo;, u kojem je&nbsp;određivana aktivnost amilaze spektrofotometrijskim praćenjem povećanja&nbsp;koncentracije redukujućih &scaron;ećera u endospermu semena tretiranog ječma i&nbsp;poređena sa aktivno&scaron;ću rastvora giberelinske kiseline (GA3). Rezultati ovih&nbsp;testova pokazuju da delovanjem vodenih rastvora užih frakcija naftenskih&nbsp;kiselina u koncentraciji 1.0 mg/L (3.5 x 10^-6mol/L)frakcija izolovana pri pH 8&nbsp;ima aktivnost koja je približno u opsegu aktivnosti giberelina koncentracije&nbsp;10^-2-10^-3&nbsp;mg/L.&nbsp;</p><p>Natrijum-naftenati u koncentraciji od 10^-6&nbsp;<br />do 10^-8&nbsp;mol/L stimuli&scaron;u formiranje&nbsp;adventivnih korenova kod reznica suncokreta pa je broj korenova po biljci 40&nbsp;puta veći kod biljaka koje su bile potopljene u rastvor natrijum-naftenata u&nbsp;odnosu na one koje su bile potopljene u vodu, a sličan efekat utvrđen je i pri&nbsp;tretiranju bočnih grana suncokreta.&nbsp;</p><p>Ožiljavanje drvenastih biljaka rađeno je na reznicama bele topole (Populus&nbsp;alba) i reznicama američke crne topole (Populus deltoides). Uočen je jasan&nbsp;inhibitomi efekat na rast korenčića i izbojka u vodenom medijumu sa 10^-4&nbsp;mol/L&nbsp;naftenskih kiselina, dok je tretman od 24 časa doprineo većem broju korenčića&nbsp;na donjih 5 cm reznice, kao i ukupnog broja korenčića nego kod kontrole.&nbsp;</p><p>U testu ukorenjivanja mikroizdanaka kod hrizantema najveći broj korenova&nbsp;dobijen je nakon tretmana sa rastvorom koji sadrži 10 &micro;mol/L ukupnih naftenata&nbsp;i tretmanom sa 50 &micro;mol/Lfrakcijom kiselina izolovanom pri pH 7. Oba rezultata&nbsp;su na nivou aktivnosti 3-indolbuterne kiseline koncentracije 10 &micro;mol/L&scaron;to znači&nbsp;da u ovom slučaju frakcionacija nije neophodna.&nbsp;</p><p>Efekti natrijum-naftenata na ukorenjivanje praćeni su merenjem nivoa totalnih&nbsp;peroksidaza i amilaze, &nbsp;kao i sadržaja redukujućih &scaron;ećera i ukupnih proteina u&nbsp;bazalnim delovima reznica bagrema(Rozaszin-AC).&nbsp; Nakon 1; 3 i 6 dana&nbsp;reznice su uzete za biohemijske analize. U svakom slučaju, aktivnosti&nbsp;IAA-oksidaze i amilaze su se povećavale do trećeg dana, &nbsp;a zatim smanjuje.&nbsp;Efekat je bio jače izražen posle tročasovnog tretmana sa natrijum-naftenatima&nbsp;u poređenju sa &scaron;estočasovnim tretmanom i kontrolom. Sadržaj rastvornih&nbsp;proteina je bio povećan jedan dan posle tretmana, smanjen trećeg i ponovo povećan &scaron;estog dana, osim za &scaron;estočasovni tretman natrijum-naftenatima, kada je efekat bio sasvim suprotan.</p><p>Test uticaja naftnih kiselina na nivo kadmijuma u biljkama pokazuje fiziolo&scaron;ko delovanje naftnih kiselina na snižavanje nivoa te&scaron;kih metala u biljci, u ovom slučaju kadmijuma. Ispitivan je efekat niske koncentracije natrijum-naftenata (10^-7&nbsp;mol/L) na ukupan sadržaj Cd u pojedinim frakcijama interćelijskog prostora kao i unutar ćelija, kao i na neke fiziolo&scaron;ke i biohemijske parametre kod mladih biljaka soje koje su uzgajane u prisustvu kadmijum-hlorida koncentracije 1 mmol/L. Prisustvo naftenata smanjuje sadržaj ukupnog kadmijuma kako u korenu tako i u stablu i listovima u proseku za oko 40% i ublažava &scaron;tetne efekte kadmijuma na aktivnost nitrat-reduktaze kao i na sadržaje fotosintetskih pigmenata.</p><p>Tretman biljaka niskim koncentracijama natrijum-naftenata utiče na&nbsp;akumulaciju nekih esencijalnih elemenata kod mladih biljaka soje. Prisustvo&nbsp;naftenata (10^{-7 &nbsp;}mol/L) značajno povećava sadržaj Mn, Fe, Zn i Ni u korenu, ali&nbsp;u stabljici i listovima samo sadržaj Fe i Mn. U korenu, sadržaj Mn je četiri puta&nbsp;veći a sadržaji Fe, Zn i Ni su povećani 17%, 60% i 68%, respektivno.&nbsp;</p><p>Ispitivanja na celeru i mrkvi su potvrdila da uticaj naftenata na mineralnu&nbsp;ishranu zavisi od primenjenog elementa i da je način preuzimanja određenih&nbsp;jona različit, &scaron;to ima za posledicu ili povećanje ili smanjenje sadržaja pojedinih&nbsp;jona u nekim delovima biljaka. Mlade biljke celera i mrkve, gajene u hranljivom&nbsp;medijumu, tretirane su natrijumovim solima naftenskih kiselina (10^-7&nbsp;mol/L)&nbsp;folijarno ili prisustvom u hranljivom medijumu. Jedino je tretman putem&nbsp;prisustva naftenata u hranljivom medijumu smanjio svežu masu korena i&nbsp;nadzemnog dela oko 20% kod obe biljke.Oba tretmana uticala su na sadržaj&nbsp;Fe, Cu, Mn, Mg i Ca kod biljaka celera i Fe, Mn, Zn i Na kod biljaka mrkve.&nbsp;Kod biljaka celera do&scaron;lo je do smanjenja sadržaja navedenih nutrienata dok je&nbsp;u korenu biljaka mrkve do&scaron;lo do povećanja sadržaja Fe za 45%, Mn za 70% i&nbsp;Zn za 37%. Kod ovih biljaka prisustvo naftenata u hranljivom medijumu dovelo&nbsp;do smanjenja mase korenova i nadzemnih delova, &scaron;to je potpuno suprotno od&nbsp;rezultata dobijenih kod biljaka soje.&nbsp; Folijarnim tretmanom je značajno<br />povećana masa nadzemnog samo kod celera.</p> / <p>Group-structural analysis of naphthenic acids isolated from middle&nbsp;commercial fractions of Vojvodina oil &bdquo;Velebit&rdquo; was performed with the&nbsp;analysis of IR-,<br />¹H- and&nbsp;¹³C NMR- and ESI-MS low resolution spectrums.&nbsp;Six classes of carboxylic acids of the general molecular formula C_nH_2n-ZO_2&nbsp;were determined. These are carboxylic acids with mass range of 240-466&nbsp;with 15-31 C atoms in molecule which are grouped in five cycloalkyl&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">Z-series: monocyclic- (C_nH_2n-2O₂, 14.72%), bicyclic- (C_nH_2n-4O₂, 34.63%),&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">tricyclic- (C_nH_2n-6O₂, 25.03%), tetracyclic- (C_nH_2n-8O₂, &nbsp;10.04%), pentacyclic&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">class of carboxylic acids (C_nH_2n-10O₂, 4.99%) and one alyphatic class of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">acids with open chain alkyl groups (C_nH_2nO₂, 10.57%).</span></p><p>By fractioning on the basis of different levels of acidity and their solubility in&nbsp;water with pH values ranging from pH 2-10 nine subfractions of acids were&nbsp;obtained. By extraction with ether in water undissolved acids in the range of&nbsp;one pH unit the following distribution of mass was performed: 9.57%&nbsp;(pH 10), 12.69% (pH 9), 5.91% (pH 8), 4.85% (pH 7), 2.44% (pH 6), 11.71%&nbsp;(pH 5), 23.94% (pH 4), 16.76% (pH 3) and 10.12% (pH 2). By fractioning&nbsp;acids on the basis of their acidity about 50% of acid &nbsp;mass was extracted at&nbsp;pH 2-4, i.e., in the group of stronger acids. Low resolution mass&nbsp;spectrometry ESI-MS shows that at pH 4 acids with more rings in the alkyl&nbsp;<br />section were concentrated in the mixture with maximum at tricyclic acids&nbsp;(36.50%), while individually tetracyclic acid structures C₂₀H₃₂O₂ (4.43%) and&nbsp;C₂₁H₃₄O_2&nbsp;(4.56%) were most prominent. At pH 8 bicyclic- and tricyclic&nbsp;structures are represented &nbsp;together by 65.02% with acids with 20-26 C&nbsp;atoms in molecule being represented the most, and C₂₂H₃₈O₂&nbsp; (5.26%)&nbsp;bicyclic- and C₂₄H₄₂O₂(7.01%) tricyclic structures stand &nbsp;out, while with&nbsp;tertacyclic acid structures C₂₄H₄₀O₂ (4.77%) stands out. At pH 10 most&nbsp;represented isolated acids are acyclic, i.e., fatty acids which are&nbsp;represented by 25.28%, with the most dominant C₂₁H₄₂O_2&nbsp;structures&nbsp;(4.83%), while the other classes &nbsp;of acids are well balanced in their mass&nbsp;share in relation to the composition of the overall initial acid mixture.</p><p>The second part of this work deals with derivatization of the isolated natural&nbsp;naphthenic acids. Functional oxygen methyl-, ethyl-, n-butyl-, tert-butyl and&nbsp;benzyl-derivatives of naphthenic acids as well as functional nitrogen&nbsp;derivatives: amides and anilides of naphthenic acids were synthesized. The&nbsp;syntheses of the above mentioned esters were performed by conventional&nbsp;methods and by a modified method of esterification in acid-catalyzed&nbsp;conditions using microwaves as a co-catalyst with the aim of shortening the&nbsp;reaction time and improving the ecological synthetic conditions.&nbsp;</p><p>By modification of methyl naphthenates synthesis using MT-heating the&nbsp;time period for synthesis is reduced 48 times and the yield does not&nbsp;significantly change even after the reaction parameters (time, MT power)&nbsp;have been altered. Using structural analysis of ESI-MS spectrum of initial&nbsp;carboxylic acids and the methyl naphthenates obtained through methylation&nbsp;of naphthenic acids it was establishedthat the class ratio shows great&nbsp;compatibility. The esters yield in this synthesis is 95.47%. The esterification&nbsp;of naphthenic acids with ethyl alcohol done under the conditions of acid&nbsp;catalysis with conventional heating (91.76%), and with the modified method&nbsp;MT-heating (150 W) the reaction time is reduced 96 times (92.19%). The&nbsp;esterification of naphthenic acids with n-butyl alcohol was performed using&nbsp;sulphuric acid as a catalyst with conventional heating (94.24%), and under&nbsp;MT-heating conditions (150 W) reaction time was 72 times&nbsp; shorter&nbsp;(61.15%). The synthesis of&nbsp; tert-butyl naphthenates was performed by&nbsp;conversion of naphthenic acids into chlorides, followed by the reaction with&nbsp;tert-butyl alcohol which resulted in tert-butyl naphthenates (80.17%). By the&nbsp;modified method of conventional reaction of esterification of naphthenic&nbsp;acids using tert-butyl alcohol catalysed with sulphuric acid in MT-heating&nbsp;conditions (150 W) the yield was 85.49% and reaction time was 5 minutes.&nbsp;The synthesis of benzyl naphthenates was performed by conversion of&nbsp;naphthenic acids into chlorides, followed by a reaction with benzyl alcohol&nbsp;which produces benzyl naphthenates (84.43%), whereas the modified&nbsp;method of conventional acid-catalysed esterification of naphthenic acids&nbsp;using benzyl alcohol under MT-heating (150 W) conditions the yield was&nbsp;85.49% with the reaction time of 5 minutes.&nbsp;</p><p>The synthesis of naphthenic acid amides was done from chlorides by&nbsp;reaction with ammonia. The yield of pure amides was 65.74%, and the&nbsp;reaction of amidation with ammonia lasted for 15 minutes. The structural&nbsp;analysis of ESI-MS spectrum of naphthenic acid amides determined the&nbsp;group-structural composition of amides. With the structures of amides of&nbsp;naphthenic acids bicyclic- and tricyclic structures are also dominant, as in&nbsp;the mixture of free acids. The synthesis of naphthenic acid anilides were&nbsp;performed from chloride by reacting with aniline. The yield of pure anilides&nbsp;<br />was 96.48%, and the reaction of amidatation lasted for 30 minutes. The&nbsp;structural analysis of ESI-MS spectrum of naphthenic acid anilides&nbsp;determined the group-structural composition of anilide products. With the&nbsp;structures of anilides of naphthenic &nbsp;acids bicyclic- and tricyclic structures&nbsp;are also dominant, as in the mixture of free acids.</p><p>The third part of this work tests the biological activity of naphthenic acids of&nbsp;auxine and gibberellinic type, their influence on the rooting of cuttings,&nbsp;lateral branches and microshoots of plants, on the activity of plant&nbsp;hormones as well as on the metal ions uptake by plants.&nbsp;</p><p>The activity of naphthenic acids was determined using three in vitro&nbsp;biological tests. &bdquo;Koleoptil test&rdquo;, was done on two substrates, namely the&nbsp;seed of winter wheat of the Partizankasort and the spring wheat of the&nbsp;Venerasort. The referential activity in the test was performed with&nbsp;&alpha;-naphthylacetic- and 3-indolacetic acid. Both tests showed approximately&nbsp;the same ratio of activity of naphthenic acid solutions and standard plant&nbsp;hormones. &bdquo;Germination Inhibition Test&rdquo; of the seed was performed using&nbsp;<br />Brasscia nigraseed. The greatest influence of naphthenic acids to&nbsp;germination inhibition was achieved in the acid concentration ranging from&nbsp;10^-7-10^-8&nbsp;mol/L (0.05-0.01 mg/L). The tests for six narrow fractions obtained&nbsp;from the overall mixture of acids through fractioning on the basis of different&nbsp;solubility at different pH values show the same activity as 3-indolacetic acid&nbsp;(0.5 mg/L), with the fraction isolated from the aqueous solution at pH 7 also&nbsp;active but in comparison to 3-indolacetic acid this activity was 10 times&nbsp;lower. Hormone activity of gibberellinic type of the potassium salts of&nbsp;naphthenic acids was determined using &ldquo;Endosperm Test&rdquo; where amylase&nbsp;<br />activity was determined by spectrophotometric measuring of the increase of&nbsp;the concentration of reducing sugars in endosperm in the treated barley&nbsp;seed which was then compared to the activity of the gibberellic acid solution&nbsp;(GA3).&nbsp; The results of these tests indicate that the activity of aqueous&nbsp;solutions of narrow fractions of naphthenic acids in the concentration of&nbsp;1.0 mg/L (3.5 x 10^-6&nbsp;mol/L)the fraction isolated &nbsp;at pH 8 has the activity&nbsp;which is approximately within the range of activities of gibberellin of the&nbsp;concentration of 10^-2-10^-3&nbsp;mg/L.&nbsp;</p><p>Sodium salts of naphthenic acids in concentrations of 10^-6&nbsp;do 10^-8&nbsp;mol/L&nbsp;stimulated formation of adventitious roots in&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">sunflower cuttings even by a&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">factor of 40 compared with control, the effect being also observed lateral&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">branches of interspecies sunflower hybrids. The obtained results suggest&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">the possibility of using naphthenic acids as a means for rooting of plant&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">cuttings.</span></p><p>Rooting of hardwood plants was investigated on the cuttings of white poplar&nbsp;(Populus alba) and black poplar (Populus deltoides). The distinct inhibitory&nbsp;effect on the root and shoot growth in water culture was detected in the&nbsp;concentration of naphtenic acids 10^-4&nbsp;mol/L, but 24-hour treatment raised&nbsp;the number roots on undermost 5 cm of the cutting, as well as the total&nbsp;number of roots, comparing to the control.</p><p>In the test of rooting microshoots ofchrysanthemum the highest number of&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">roots was achieved after the treatment with solution containing 10 &micro;mol/L of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">total napthenates, as &nbsp;well as after the treatment with fraction of naphthenic&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">acids which was isolated at pH &nbsp;7 in concentration of 50 &micro;mol/L. Both results&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">are on the level of activity of 3-ndolbutyric acid in concentration of 10 &micro;mol/L&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">which suggests that in this case ractionation is not necessary.</span></p><p>The effects of sodium naphthenates on rooting were investigated by&nbsp;measuring the level of total peroxidases and amylase, along with the&nbsp;contents of reducing sugars and total proteins in basal parts of cuttings of&nbsp;black locust (Rozaszin-AC). After 1; 3 and 6 days cuttings were taken for&nbsp;biochemical analysis. In all cases, the activities of IAA-oxidase and amylase&nbsp;increased to the third day and showed a decrease afterwards. The effect&nbsp;was more pronounced after the three-hour treatment with sodium&nbsp;naphthenates, compared to the six-hour treatment and control. The content&nbsp;of soluble proteins increased one dayafter the treatment and decreased to&nbsp;the third and again increased to the sixth day, an exception being the&nbsp;six-hour treatment with sodium naphthenate, when the effect was&nbsp;completely opposite.</p><p>The test of naphthenic acids influence on the level of cadmium in plants&nbsp;showed physiological activity of naphthenic acids on the decrease of the&nbsp;level of heavy metals, &nbsp;in this case cadmium, in the plant. The effect of low&nbsp;concentrations (10^-7&nbsp;mol/L) of sodium naphthenate on total content of Cd in&nbsp;the intercellular space and inside cells, as &nbsp;well as on some physiological&nbsp;and biochemical parameters of young soybean plants grown in the&nbsp;presence of 1 mmol/L solution of cadmium chloride was investigated.&nbsp;Presence of naphthenate reduced in average by 40 % content of total and&nbsp;intracellular Cd in root, stem and leaves and alleviated the harmful effect of&nbsp;<br />Cd on activity of nitrate reductase and content of photosynthetic pigments.</p><p>Treatment of soybean plants with low concentrations of sodium&nbsp;naphthenate influenced the accumulation ofsome essential elements by the&nbsp;young plants. The presence of naphthenates (10^-7&nbsp;mol/L) significantly&nbsp;increased content of Mn, Fe, Zn and Ni in root, but in stem and leaves&nbsp;increased only contents of Fe and Mn. Inroot, the content of Mn increased&nbsp;four times while contents of Fe, Zn and Ni increased by 17%, &nbsp;60% and 68%&nbsp;respectively compared to the control.</p><p>Investigations on celery and carrot&nbsp; confirmed that the influence of&nbsp;naphthenates on mineral nutrition depends on the applied element and that&nbsp;the way of uptake of certain ions is different, which results in either increase&nbsp;or decrease of the contents of some ions in certain parts of plants. Young&nbsp;plants of celery and carrot, were grown in the nutrient medium and treated&nbsp;with sodium salts of naphthenic acids (10^-7&nbsp;mol/L) over the leaves or with its&nbsp;presence in the nutrient medium. Only the treatment based on the &nbsp;presence&nbsp;of naphthenates in the nutrient medium resulted in the decrease of the fresh&nbsp;mass of root and aboveground part by about 20% for both plants. Both&nbsp;treatments had influence on the content of Fe, Cu, Mn, Mg and Ca in the&nbsp;plants of celery and Fe, Mn, Zn and Na in the plants of carrots. In the plants&nbsp;of celery the content of the mentioned nutrients was decreased, while in the&nbsp;root of plants of carrot &nbsp;the content was increased, Fe by 45%, Mn by 70%&nbsp;and Zn by 37%. With these plants &nbsp;the presence of naphthenates in the&nbsp;nutrient medium caused the reducing roots and aboveground parts, which is&nbsp;completely opposite from the results obtained with soybean plants. The&nbsp;treatment by leaves significantly increased the mass of aboveground part&nbsp;only with celery.</p>

<p>Predviđena istraživanja u ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji su usmerena u pravcu&nbsp;<br />modifikacije klasičnih metoda i postupaka za transformaciju karboksilne grupe&nbsp;<br />prirodnih i sintetičkih karboksilnih kiselina. Modifikacije su rađene novim,&nbsp;<br />savremenim, ekonomski i ekolo&scaron;ki opravdanim metodama rada u&nbsp;<br />mikrotalasnom reaktoru. Modifikovanim sintetskim postupcima u&nbsp;<br />mikrotalasnom reaktoru urađena je sinteza amida, hidroksamskih&nbsp; derivata,&nbsp;<br />kao i redukcija individualnih naftnih kiselina i&nbsp; sme&scaron;e&nbsp; prirodnih naftnih kiselina&nbsp;<br />&bdquo;Velebit&ldquo; do alkohola. Prirodne naftne kiseline kori&scaron;ćene u ovom radu su prvo&nbsp;<br />izolovane iz gasne frakcije (interval destilacije 168-290 &deg;C) vojvođanske nafte&nbsp;<br />&bdquo;Velebit&ldquo; a potom preči&scaron;ćene i razdvojene na uže frakcije na osnovu različite&nbsp;<br />kiselosti. Nakon toga, izvr&scaron;ena je njihova karakterizacija GC-MS-EI analizom&nbsp;<br />(čime je potvrđeno da dolazi do strukturne diferencijacije kiselina). U radu je&nbsp;<br />takođe ispitana biolo&scaron;ka aktivnost sintetizovanih derivata. Proučavan je uticaj&nbsp;<br />prirodnih naftnih kiselina &bdquo;Velebit&ldquo; i njenih derivata na rast&nbsp; pet sojeva&nbsp;<br />Pseudomonas sp., kao i uticaj odabranih sintetisanih jedinjenja na proliferaciju&nbsp;<br />četiri ćelijske linije humanih tumora pri čemu je kao kontrola služila jedna&nbsp;<br />zdrava humana ćelijska linija.</p> / <p>The investigation of this doctoral dissertation is directed toward the modification of the &nbsp;transformation of the carboxylic group of natural and synthetic carboxylic acids. The dissertation takes into consideration the classical methods and procedures of the reaction and modifies them using microwave reactor. The synthesis of amides, hydroxamic derivatives, as well as the reduction&nbsp; of individual petroleum acids and acid mixtures of natural oil &quot;Velebit&quot; to alcohol were achieved&nbsp; by the modifications made to the synthetic methods in the microwave reactor. The natural oil acids used within this study were first isolated from the gas fraction (distillation interval 168-290 &deg;C) of the Vojvodina&#39;s crude oil &quot;Velebit&quot;, and then purified and separated by the narrow fractions under the different acidity. After that, their characterisation was made by the GC-MS-EI analysis which confirmed that the structural differentiation of&nbsp;&nbsp; acids had been achieved. Also, the biological activity of the synthesized derivatives are analysed. The impact of natural petroleum acids &quot;Velebit&quot; and its derivatives on the growth of five strains of&nbsp; Pseudomonas&nbsp; sp. was studied, as well as the impact of selected synthesized compounds on the proliferation of four human tumor cell lines wherein one healthy human cell lines used as the control.</p>

Naphthenic acids (NA) are a highly complex mixture of aliphatic carboxylic acids that may contain multiple rings and unsaturated double bonds, and are a subset of the naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFC), which can contain heteroatoms, unsaturations, and aromatic structures. Mono-carboxylated NAs can be classically represented by CnH2n+zO2 where z is a negative integer representing the hydrogen deficiency. NAs and NAFCs are components of the acid extractable organics (AEO) frequently associated with increased toxicity and observed at elevated concentrations in oil sands process waters (OSPW). Numerous chromatographic and mass spectrometry techniques have recently emerged to probe the composition and concentrations of these components. This thesis reports the use of a capillary hollow fiber polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane mounted on a probe interface that can be immersed directly into an aqueous sample. A methanol acceptor phase passing through the lumen transports analyte to an electrospray ionization source and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. This technique, termed condensed phase membrane introduction mass spectrometry (CP-MIMS), allows for rapid screening of m/z profiles and on-line quantification of NAs in complex samples within minutes. This thesis reports parametric studies of several model carboxylic acids and a standard naphthenic acid mixture (Merichem) involving the effect of sample pH on membrane transport and acceptor phase pH on ionization enhancement. Several quantitative strategies are explored including the use of an internal standard in the acceptor phase to correct for ionization suppression and variations in instrument sensitivity, and the use of selected ion monitoring (SIM) experiments to increase analytical sensitivity and potentially target specific NA isomer classes for quantitation. Analytical performance measures such as the linear dynamic range (1-2300 ppb [NA]T as Merichem), sensitivity (~1 ppb [NA]T as Merichem detection limit), precision (~20 %RSD for replicates of a single OSPW) and accuracy are reported. Quantitative results for various OSPW samples in the ppb to ppm range are reported as equivalents of several surrogates, including 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PyBA), Merichem, and a large-volume extract of northern Alberta OSPWs. The variety of quantitation strategies allows results to be compared with several other published methods. CP-MIMS results for three mid-range northern Alberta OSPWs are compared to analysis by Environment Canada with an average -21% bias. Results for five archived OSPWs spanning a wider concentration are compared to data from AXYS Analytical, with an average -49% bias. Applications of CP-MIMS as an in-situ monitor of removal efficiencies of NAs on adsorbents and real-time mass profile changes are also presented, along with some interpretation of the resulting high-resolution kinetic data to obtain decay constants. Using the targeted SIM method, adsorption decay can be followed in real-time for various isomer classes within the Merichem mixture, and kinetic data extracted to obtain decay constants for each. CP-MIMS is also used to characterize adsorption behavior for two activated biochars, including % removals for various loadings of each when added to stirred Merichem solutions. Preliminary multi-loading experiments are conducted with one biochar, and the ability of CP-MIMS to characterize adsorbent behavior by constructing adsorption isotherm plots is demonstrated. / Graduate

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a adsorÃÃo de compostos poliaromÃticos em materiais nanoporosos para avaliar a reduÃÃo do teor destes compostos em misturas complexas de hidrocarbonetos. O destilado naftÃnico estudado neste trabalho foi produzido a partir de diferentes tipos de petrÃleos naftÃnicos nacionais, este produto tem alta aplicabilidade na indÃstria sisaleira (produÃÃo de fibras) por ser estÃvel e com alto ponto de fulgor, o que oferece seguranÃa no seu manuseio. Entretanto, por nÃo sofrer nenhum tratamento, o produto possui uma alta concentraÃÃo de compostos aromÃticos. Desta forma, Ã importante reduzir as concentraÃÃes desses compostos, sobretudo dos poliaromÃticos, para tornar os produtos menos perigosos Ãs pessoas que trabalham com o seu manuseio. AtravÃs de vÃrios mÃtodos analÃticos, foi possÃvel traÃar o perfil dos compostos aromÃticos presentes nas amostras da carga. Foram pesquisados e testados vÃrios adsorventes comerciais, dentre os materiais, destacaram-se os carvÃes ativados. AtravÃs dos experimentos em coluna, foi possÃvel avaliar a capacidade de adsorÃÃo em leito fixo dos carvÃes ativados, estimar parÃmetros de transferÃncia de massa e simular o comportamento breakthrough dos sistemas estudados. A dinÃmica de adsorÃÃo em leito fixo com misturas sintÃticas de poliaromÃticos foi utilizada para avaliar a capacidade dos melhores materiais (AC1 e AC2) e verificar a difusividade efetiva no interior das partÃculas. Foram avaliadas as propriedades fisico-quÃmicas e o teor de poliaromÃticos apÃs o tratamento. Os resultados confirmaram a eficiÃncia dos carvÃes ativados para utilizaÃÃo em processos de modulaÃÃo do teor de compostos poliaromÃticos do destilado naftÃnico estudado. / The removal of aromatics from mineral naphthenic oil by adsorption was studied. Commercial adsorbents were evaluated using batch experiments. The equilibrium data were fitted using the Langmuir equation. Column experiments were performed for three activated carbons samples that presented the best batch adsorption properties. A simulation model was used to predict the breakthrough curves for adsorption and desorption runs. After three cycles of adsorption/desorption, using n-hexane as eluent, only a slight decrease in aromatics capacity was observed. Activated carbon seemed to be adequate for aromatics removal in this system. Textural properties and detailed study of adsorption was performed using synthetic mixtures of pyrene. The adsorption capacities of adsorbents were obtained by batch experiments in three different temperatures and the isotherms were well adjusted by Langmuir equation. The dynamic adsorption was evaluated by successive breakthrough curves. The dynamic adsorption isotherms were well obtained from these experiments and were also well adjusted by Langmuir equation. The general model that account both internal and external resistances of mass transfer were used to predict the breakthrough curves and estimate the pore diffusivity.

Naphthenic acids (NAs) comprise a complex mixture of alkyl-substituted acyclic and cycloaliphatic carboxylic acids. NAs are present in wastewaters at petroleum refineries and in the process waters of oil sands extraction plants where they are primarily retained in large tailing ponds in the Athabasca region of Northern Alberta. The toxicity of these waters, primarily caused by NAs, dictates the need for their treatment.Bioremediation is considered as one of the most cost-effective approaches for the treatment of these wastewaters. Ex-situ bioremediation conducted in a bioreactor optimizes the microbial growth and activity by controlling environmental conditions resulting in efficient conversion of the contaminants to less harmful compounds. In this work, a circulating packed bed bioreactor (CPBB), with improved mixing, mass transfer and biomass hold-up has been used to study biodegradation of several model NA compounds: namely trans-4-methyl-1-cyclohexane carboxylic acid (trans-4MCHCA), a mixture of cis- and trans- 4-methyl-cyclohexane acetic acid (4MCHAA), and octanoic acid as well co-biodegradation of these naphthenic acids with octanoic acid, using a mixed culture developed in our laboratory. The biodegradation rates achieved for trans-4MCHCA in the CPBB are far greater than those reported previously in the literatures. The maximum biodegradation rate of trans-4MCHCA observed during batch operation was 43.5 mg/L-h, while a rate of 209 mg/L-h was achieved during continuous operation. Although cis-4MCHAA is more resistant to biodegradation when compared with trans-4MCHCA, the experimental results obtained from this study indicated both isomers were effectively biodegraded in the CPBB, with the maximum biodegradation rates being as high as 2.25 mg/L-h (cis-4MCHAA) and 4.17 mg/L-h (trans-4MCHAA) during batch operations and 4.17 mg/L-h(cis-4MCHAA) and 7.80 mg/L-h (trans-4MCHAA) during the continuous operation. Optimum temperature for biodegradation of 4MCHAA was determined as 25 aC. Furthermore, the biodegradation rate of single ring NAs (trans-4MCHCA and 4MCHAA) were found to be significantly improved through utilization of octanoic acid as a co-substrate. For example, the maximum biodegradation rate of trans-4MCHCA obtained during batch operation with the presence of octanoic acid was 112 mg/L-h, which was 2.6 times faster than the maximum value of 43.5 mg/L-h when trans-4MCHCA was used as a sole substrate. Similarly, the highest biodegradation rates of cis-4MCHAA and trans-4MCHAA were 16.7 and 28.4 mg/L-h in the presence of octanoic acid, which were 7.4 and 6.8 times higher than the maximum rates of 2.25 and 4.17 mg/L-h in the absence of octanoic acid.

Naphthenic acids (NAs) comprise a complex mixture of alkyl-substituted acyclic and cycloaliphatic carboxylic acids. NAs are present in wastewaters at petroleum refineries and in the process waters of oil sands extraction plants where they are primarily retained in large tailing ponds in the Athabasca region of Northern Alberta. The toxicity of these waters, primarily caused by NAs, dictates the need for their treatment.Bioremediation is considered as one of the most cost-effective approaches for the treatment of these wastewaters. Ex-situ bioremediation conducted in a bioreactor optimizes the microbial growth and activity by controlling environmental conditions resulting in efficient conversion of the contaminants to less harmful compounds. In this work, a circulating packed bed bioreactor (CPBB), with improved mixing, mass transfer and biomass hold-up has been used to study biodegradation of several model NA compounds: namely trans-4-methyl-1-cyclohexane carboxylic acid (trans-4MCHCA), a mixture of cis- and trans- 4-methyl-cyclohexane acetic acid (4MCHAA), and octanoic acid as well co-biodegradation of these naphthenic acids with octanoic acid, using a mixed culture developed in our laboratory. The biodegradation rates achieved for trans-4MCHCA in the CPBB are far greater than those reported previously in the literatures. The maximum biodegradation rate of trans-4MCHCA observed during batch operation was 43.5 mg/L-h, while a rate of 209 mg/L-h was achieved during continuous operation. Although cis-4MCHAA is more resistant to biodegradation when compared with trans-4MCHCA, the experimental results obtained from this study indicated both isomers were effectively biodegraded in the CPBB, with the maximum biodegradation rates being as high as 2.25 mg/L-h (cis-4MCHAA) and 4.17 mg/L-h (trans-4MCHAA) during batch operations and 4.17 mg/L-h(cis-4MCHAA) and 7.80 mg/L-h (trans-4MCHAA) during the continuous operation. Optimum temperature for biodegradation of 4MCHAA was determined as 25 aC. Furthermore, the biodegradation rate of single ring NAs (trans-4MCHCA and 4MCHAA) were found to be significantly improved through utilization of octanoic acid as a co-substrate. For example, the maximum biodegradation rate of trans-4MCHCA obtained during batch operation with the presence of octanoic acid was 112 mg/L-h, which was 2.6 times faster than the maximum value of 43.5 mg/L-h when trans-4MCHCA was used as a sole substrate. Similarly, the highest biodegradation rates of cis-4MCHAA and trans-4MCHAA were 16.7 and 28.4 mg/L-h in the presence of octanoic acid, which were 7.4 and 6.8 times higher than the maximum rates of 2.25 and 4.17 mg/L-h in the absence of octanoic acid.

Current mining operators in the Athabasca oil sands deposit of Alberta, Canada have made commitments to zero discharge of oil sands process-affected waste materials (OSPM) from the mine site and rehabilitation of mined lands to a pre-mining state. As part of aquatic reclamation efforts, experimental test sites that contain a range of OSPM (solid and liquid components) were constructed to monitor the evolution and viability of aquatic habitats used as disposal sinks for OSPM produced by mining activities. In the present study, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were used to gauge some of the potential effects of OSPM site construction methods on aquatic food webs. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures of sediment, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic matter, periphytic material, plants, plankton, aquatic invertebrates and fish were used to assess differences related to the naphthenic acid (NA) concentration in OSPM and reference sites. For statistical analyses, sites were grouped into low (0 to 4 mg/L), medium (4 to 15 mg/L) and high (> 15 mg/L) NA concentrations. There were no significant differences in food web area or food web length among the low, medium and high NA concentration sites. In most cases, sample carbon isotope analyses of low, medium and high NA concentration sites were not significantly different, suggesting food web carbon sources did not include significant contributions from OSPM materials at OSPM sites. Significant differences, however, were found in the sample nitrogen isotope signatures between low, medium and high NA concentration sites. Ammonia from OSPM is suggested to be the main contributor to &delta;¹⁵N enrichment. <br /><br /> To determine the potential effects of site construction and OSPM within experimental test sites, carbon and sulphur stable isotopes of water, plankton, aquatic invertebrates and fish were analyzed. With the exception of <em>Chaoborus</em> and <em>Haliplus</em>, all carbon isotope signatures were not significantly different in constructed and reference sites. Also with the exception of <em>Haliplus</em>, sulphur isotope values for aquatic organisms from constructed and reference sites were significantly different. Aquatic organisms and water samples from constructed sites built in, or close, to the boundary of Kcw clays typically had &delta;³⁴S < 0 ?. Coinciding with depleted &delta;³⁴S signatures found in these aquatic systems were elevated sulphate concentrations. The waters at experimental test sites are in direct contact with the soil materials that facilitate the accumulation of sulphates as a result of the oxidation of substrate sulphide minerals. In general the results of the study suggest that aquatic food web structure and function do not change with the introduction of OSPM. Shifts in isotopic signatures suggestive of changes in food web structure, however, do occur when site construction exposes Kcw clays in the substrate.

Current mining operators in the Athabasca oil sands deposit of Alberta, Canada have made commitments to zero discharge of oil sands process-affected waste materials (OSPM) from the mine site and rehabilitation of mined lands to a pre-mining state. As part of aquatic reclamation efforts, experimental test sites that contain a range of OSPM (solid and liquid components) were constructed to monitor the evolution and viability of aquatic habitats used as disposal sinks for OSPM produced by mining activities. In the present study, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were used to gauge some of the potential effects of OSPM site construction methods on aquatic food webs. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures of sediment, dissolved inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, particulate organic matter, periphytic material, plants, plankton, aquatic invertebrates and fish were used to assess differences related to the naphthenic acid (NA) concentration in OSPM and reference sites. For statistical analyses, sites were grouped into low (0 to 4 mg/L), medium (4 to 15 mg/L) and high (> 15 mg/L) NA concentrations. There were no significant differences in food web area or food web length among the low, medium and high NA concentration sites. In most cases, sample carbon isotope analyses of low, medium and high NA concentration sites were not significantly different, suggesting food web carbon sources did not include significant contributions from OSPM materials at OSPM sites. Significant differences, however, were found in the sample nitrogen isotope signatures between low, medium and high NA concentration sites. Ammonia from OSPM is suggested to be the main contributor to &delta;¹⁵N enrichment. <br /><br /> To determine the potential effects of site construction and OSPM within experimental test sites, carbon and sulphur stable isotopes of water, plankton, aquatic invertebrates and fish were analyzed. With the exception of <em>Chaoborus</em> and <em>Haliplus</em>, all carbon isotope signatures were not significantly different in constructed and reference sites. Also with the exception of <em>Haliplus</em>, sulphur isotope values for aquatic organisms from constructed and reference sites were significantly different. Aquatic organisms and water samples from constructed sites built in, or close, to the boundary of Kcw clays typically had &delta;³⁴S < 0 ?. Coinciding with depleted &delta;³⁴S signatures found in these aquatic systems were elevated sulphate concentrations. The waters at experimental test sites are in direct contact with the soil materials that facilitate the accumulation of sulphates as a result of the oxidation of substrate sulphide minerals. In general the results of the study suggest that aquatic food web structure and function do not change with the introduction of OSPM. Shifts in isotopic signatures suggestive of changes in food web structure, however, do occur when site construction exposes Kcw clays in the substrate.