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Soil Analysis of Our Lady of the Lake College Campus Soil For the Presence of
Cyclosiloxanes
Shereen N. Richard
Organic Chemistry II Laboratory: Spring 2015
Department of Science, Our Lady of the Lake College
March 6, 2015
In Partial Fulfillment of the Independent Project Component

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Problem Statement:
The topic I have chosen to research for my Independent Project is the analysis of
Our Lady of the Lake College Campus soil for Cyclosiloxanes. Cyclosiloxanes are
chemicals that contain silicon and oxygen in a single bonded ring with hydroxyl groups
attached to the silicon atoms (Cyclosiloxanes, 2008). There are many different types of
cylosiloxanes that contain different amounts of silicon and oxygen including, but not
limited to, D3 (hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane), D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane), D5
(decamethylcyclopentasiloxane), and D6 (dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane).
Cyclosiloxanes are extremely abundant and are present in places such as the air we breath
and the makeup and washing detergent we use everyday. Studies show cyclosiloxanes can
be hazardous and may be related to the production of liver tumors, the improper release
of the neurotransmitter dopamine, and the problems that occur with women who have had
ruptured silicon breast implants. Although studies have shown that cyclosiloxanes can be
related to these hazardous effects, there has not been much research done on the presence
of cyclosiloxanes in the soil we encounter everyday.
Mrs. Oldendorf has previously run soil samples from one area of OLOLCs
campus in the GC/MS and found a 90.8% probability that cyclosiloxanes are present
there (TIC: Soil_Extraction, 2014). The purpose of this experiment is to gather soil
samples around other areas of campus in order to detect if cyclosiloxanes are present
there as well. With this information, we will be able to determine if cyclosiloxanes are
generally present in all soil around OLOLCs campus. If this hypothesis is tested and the
results show that multiple areas of soil on OLOLCs campus do contain cyclosiloxanes,

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we can continue forward with this experiment to see if other areas of Baton Rouge or
even Louisiana contain cyclosiloxanes as well.
Literature Review:
Cyclosiloxanes are chemicals that contain silicon and oxygen in a single bonded
ring with hydroxyl groups attached to the silicon atoms (Cyclosiloxanes, 2008). There
are a variety of Cyclosiloxanes that have similar components but differ in the amounts of
silicon and oxygen present. Some examples include D3 (hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane), D4
(octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane) D5 (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane), and D6
(dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane). The average person will encounter many different
cyclosiloxanes throughout his or her daily routine such as when he or she is wearing
makeup, drinking diet soft drinks, washing laundry with detergent, or just breathing some
fresh (or not so fresh) air. A study (Horii and Kannan, 2008) was performed to analyze
the cylosiloxane and linear siloxane presence in household items including cosmetics,
body washes, hair products, pacifiers, sealants, and cookware. By the end of the study, it
was concluded that more than 50% of the products analyzed throughout the experiment
contained D4, D5, or D6, and that through using everyday household products, the
average woman living in the United States will typically encounter 307 mg of
organosiloxanes per day. Cyclosiloxanes are also present in our drinking water,
wastewater, and sewage.
These chemicals we encounter so often have been shown to have some hazardous
effects. Studies show (Cyclosiloxanes, 2008) that cyclosiloxane D4, which is present in
silicon breast implants, is still present in relatively high amounts in women many years
after they have had a ruptured implant. This alludes to the fact that this particular

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cyclosiloxane has quite a long half-life and can stay present in an environment for a
significant amount of time. Cyclosiloxane D4 is also present in wastewater, cosmetics,
cleaning products, and diet soft drinks. D5, another cyclosiloxane, has been shown to
cause uterine tumors in female rats and has effects on the neurotransmitter dopamine and
on the hormone prolactin. The cyclosiloxane D5 can be found in sediment, cosmetics,
drinking water, and toiletries. The cyclosiloxane D6, which is present in pharmaceuticals,
cleaners, and mold release agents, has also been shown as hazardous to the liver and
thyroid gland when ingested or inhaled.
Another study (Lieberman et al, 1999) was conducted by the Department of
Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine to view how cyclosiloxanes found in breast
implants affect female CD-1 mice. These mice were injected with different dosages of
cyclosiloxane D3, D4, D5, and D6. A variety of results were obtained including mice
with lung and liver lesions, mice with liver cell necrosis, and mice who ultimately died
from the injection.
From these sources of literature, one can see that there are many studies that have
been performed on the hazardous effects of cyclosiloxane, but when researching, there
are few that include soil analysis, which goes to show that there is a uniform uncertainty
of the abundance of cyclosiloxanes present in different areas of soil. In light of this, Mrs.
Oldendorf performed soil analysis on a sample of soil obtained from an area by a
dumpster on OLOLCs campus. The results she obtained included an abundant presence
of cyclosiloxanes in the soil. After analyzing the soil with the GC/MS, she analyzed a
peak from the GC with a Retention Time of 15 minutes and an abundance of
approximately 23,000. From the mass spectrometer reading, she obtained a base peak of

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207.0, a chemical formula of S9H18O9 (Cyclononasiloxane, octadecamethyl-), a molecular
weight of 414.9486 g/mol, and a 90.8% chance Cyclononasiloxane, octadecamethyl- is a
cyclosiloxane present in the soil sample (TIC: Soil_Extraction, 2014).
Methodology & Procedure:
The hypothesis for this proposal is as follows: From knowledge based on previous
research and experiments performed, there will be cyclosiloxanes present in other areas
of soil found around Our Lady of the Lake College Campus. The type of research being
conducted in this experiment is qualitative research because we are trying to figure out
what chemical species are present in our soil sample using Gas Chromatography/Mass
Spectrometry. Other research methods could be performed to obtain quantitative
information of the same soil sample and should be done in order to further the study.
The Gas Chromatographer/Mass Spectrometer is a sensitive instrument used to
detect and analyze different components that make up material (Herman, 2009). The
mobile phase used in this chromatography is helium gas, while the stationary phase is
made up of silica columns. The time each component of the sample takes to be eluted by
the helium gas is dependent on physical properties such as its polarity and boiling point.
These times will show up as peaks on the computer where we can determine what types
of components are present in the soil sample and the purity of the soil sample.
From the research performed by Mrs. Oldendorf, there were multiple types of
cyclosiloxanes present within the soil sample obtained near the dumpster. From this
evaluation, it is suspected that when the cyclosiloxanes are reacting in the GC/MS, the
GC/MS is pulling an electron off of the sample, and the cyclosiloxanes are re-resonating.
This phenomenon is another aspect of this research topic that should be analyzed further.

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The data obtained from this experiment will all come from the GC/MS soil
analysis results. After the sample is put into the GC/MS and results are obtained from the
computer, they will be analyzed to determine what cyclosiloxanes are present by
observing molecular weights, base peaks, probability using the library database, and
retention time and abundance. All of these aspects of the GC/MS will help to determine if
the same cyclosiloxanes that were present in Mrs. Oldendorfs soil sample from near the
dumpster are also present in other soil around campus. This information will be the
determinate of the rejection or acceptation of the hypothesis.
The procedure being carried out for this experiment is a fairly simple solid/liquid
extraction. The materials needed are as follows: 200 mL beaker, 5 g soil sample, 5 mL DI
water, vortex, vacuum filtration apparatus, 5 mL dichloromethane, seperatory funnel, and
a Gas Chromatographer/Mass Spectrometer. The procedure is as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Obtain 5 g of soil sample form desired location in a 200 mL beaker

Add 5 mL of deionized water to soil sample and vortex for 5 minutes
Set up vacuum filtration apparatus
Vacuum filter the soil/DI water solution
Discard solid
Obtain 5 mL of filtrate and 5 mL Dichloromethane and mix in seperatory funnel
Let concentrate for 3-4 days
Inject .5 microliters of solution into GC/MS and analyze data

Results will then be printed out and compared with Mrs. Oldendorfs previous soil
sample analysis. The hypothesis will then be rejected or accepted based on the presence
or absence of cyclosiloxanes.

References
Cyclosiloxanes, Meeting of the California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring
Program (CECBP) Scientific Guidance Panel (SGP), Dec 4-5, 2008.
Horii, Y.; Kannan, K. Survey of Organosilicone Compounds, Including Cyclic and Linear
Siloxanes, In Personal-Care and Household Products. Archives Of Environmental
Contamination And Toxicology [online] 2008, 55(4), 701-710.
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.ololcollege.edu:2048/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer

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?sid=eb09de67-59cc-4e69-b083881b423b1dc7%40sessionmgr4004&vid=4&hid=4105 (accessed Mar 5, 2015).
K. C. F. Herman. A Qualitative Experiment for Organic Chemistry Lab, Journal of
Chemical Education. 2009, 71, 991-992.
Lieberman, M.W.; Lykissa, E.D.; Barrios, R.; Ou, C.N.; Kala, G.; Kala, S.V.
Cyclosiloxanes Produce Fatal Liver and Lung Damage In Mice. Environmental
Health Perspectives [online] 1999, 107, 161-165.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1566344/pdf/envhper005070107.pdf (accessed Mar 5, 2015).
TIC: Soil_Extraction; Our Lady of the Lake College, Baton Rouge, LA, Nov 14, 2014.