# Research Support Core: Synthesis Core

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2021 · $133,514

## Abstract

SUMMARY: Synthesis Core
The Superfund Research Program at The University of Iowa (ISRP) supports investigations of the
consequences of sources and exposures to all airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), an important class
of Superfund chemicals. ISRP biomedical and environmental research projects require a variety of study
compounds ranging from technical and synthetic PCB mixtures to pure PCB congeners and their metabolites
for studies of the volatilization, transport, exposure, toxicity, and remediation of these PCB congeners. A major
obstacle for these studies is the large number of 209 PCB congeners plus the large number of 837 possible
mono-hydroxylated (OH-PCBs), sulfated (PCB sulfates), glucuronidated (PCB glucuronides) and other PCB
metabolites. Many of these PCB derivatives are not available from commercial sources or have never been
synthesized before. Obtaining PCB mixtures or individual PCB congeners from commercial sources can also
be expensive, especially if large quantities are needed for animal studies. Moreover, information about their
synthesis is typically not available from commercial sources. To facilitate the innovative studies proposed by
individual ISRP research projects, there is a critical need to make sufficient quantities of PCBs and their
metabolites available for studies investigating the volatilization, transport, exposure, toxicity, and remediation of
PCBs. To address this critical need, the major objective of the Synthesis Core is to provide a large variety of
well-authenticated and highly-pure PCB derivatives in a timely and cost-efficient manner to ISRP and, as time
and resources allow, other researchers. To attain this objective, the Synthesis Core will synthesize and
maintain a broad range of PCB derivatives and employ rigorous guidelines for the authentication of these key
chemicals. At the same time, the Synthesis Core will continue to develop novel synthetic strategies for the
synthesis of PCB congeners and PCB metabolites as needed by ISRP researchers. The Specific Aims of the
ISRP Synthesis Core are to: 1) maintain and prepare PCB mixtures and pure PCB congeners; 2) prepare
hydroxylated PCB derivatives; 3) synthesize PCB sulfate metabolites; and 4) prepare miscellaneous
compounds, such as: PCB hydroquinones, PCB catechols, PCB quinones, and PCB glutathione and N-
acetylcysteine conjugates. The timely availability of PCB mixtures, individual OH-PCBs, PCB sulfates and
other PCB metabolites will greatly enhance and, if the respective PCB metabolites are unavailable from
commercial sources, enable the innovative studies proposed by ISRP Research Projects. Moreover, the use of
well-authenticated test compounds across several ISRP research projects will greatly enhance the rigor and
reproducibility of ISRP research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10135993
- **Project number:** 5P42ES013661-16
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** HANS-JOACHIM LEHMLER
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $133,514
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2006-05-12 → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10135993

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10135993, Research Support Core: Synthesis Core (5P42ES013661-16). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10135993. Licensed CC0.

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