The Canadian

Centre for Environmental Modelling and Chemistry

Opportunities for Trent Undergraduates

The Centre can provide supervision of Honours projects / theses for Trent students in the general areas of analytical chemistry and modelling the fate of contaminants in the environment. Anyone interested in exploring possible projects should contact the David Ellis either in person, or by email.

Experimental Chemistry

Laboratory equipment available for use includes:
  • High field LC NMR
  • LC/MS/MS
  • GC/MS
  • IR and UV
  • General analytical instrumentation
  • General synthetic organic techniques

    Specific projects could include:
  • The determination of the physical properties, such s vapour pressure, partition coefficients, and dissociation constants, of challenging non-traditional chemicals.
  • The assessment of the contribution of molecular dynamics and structure to the fate and disposition of environmental contaminants. These studies range from theoretical quantum mechanical calculations to direct observation using spectroscopic techniques.
  • The determination of the mechanisms for the abiotic/biotic degradation of organic materials.
  • The determination of the modes of interaction of organofluorine compounds with biochemical systems.
  • The development of new analytical techniques for the analysis of organic contaminants.
  • Organic synthesis and characterisation of novel pollutants and degradation intermediates.
  • The evaluation of the fate and distribution of emerging pollutants using various computational and modelling techniques.

    Past projects:
    Sources and Emissions:
  • Thermolysis of fluoropolymers as a potential source of halogenated organic acids in the environment. (Ellis, DA; et al., 2001, Nature. 412: 321-324).

    Transport and Modelling:

  • Atmospheric lifetime of fluorotelomer alcohols. (Ellis, DA; et al., 2003. Environ Sci Technol. 37: 3816-3820).

    Fate:

  • The fate and persistence of trifluoroacetic and chloroacetic acids in pond waters. (Ellis, DA; et al., 2001. Chemosphere 42: 309-318).

    Analytical Method Development:

  • The use of F-19 NMR and mass spectrometry for the elucidation of novel fluorinated acids and atmospheric fluoroacid precursors evolved in the thermolysis of fluoropolymers. (Ellis, DA; et al., 2003. Analyst 128: 756-764).

    Toxicity:

  • Evaluation of monochloroacetic acid (MCA) degradation and toxicity to Lemna gibba, Myriophyllum spicatum, and Myriophyllum sibiricum in aquatic microcosms. (Hanson, ML; Sibley, PK; Ellis, DA; et al., 2002. Aquatic Toxicol 61: 251-273).

    Synthesis and Analysis:

  • Chemical ionization pathways of polyfluorinated chemicals - A connection to environmental atmospheric processes. (Ellis, DA; Mabury, SA. 2003. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 14: 1177-1191).

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    Environmental Modelling

    Specific projects could include:
  • physical-chemical properties of toxic substances
  • mass balance models of chemical fate in soils, rivers and lakes, the atmosphere, and vegetation at scales ranging from local to global
  • models of bioaccumulation in a variety of organisms
  • policy issues related to the management of toxic substances

    Past projects:
  • Human exposure modelling
  • Development of a framework for screening chemicals for persistence and long-range transport in the environment
  • Models of bioaccumulation
  • Evaluation of physical-chemical data for contaminants
  • Exposure to indoor applications of DDT in Mexico
  • Environmental modelling software design

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    Last updated August 12, 2011.