1

Preparation of Anesthetics with Magnetic

Nanoparticles
Yuhan Long

University of Kentucky
PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 2

Table of Contents
Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3-4

Requirements --------------------------------------------------------- 3-4

Materials Needed ------------------------------ 3

Chemicals Needed ----------------------------- 4

Possible Errors ---------------------------------------------------------- 4

Contact Information --------------------------------------------------- 4

How to Prepare Magnetic Nanoparticles ------------------------------ 5-9

Mixing of Materials ----------------------------------------------------- 5

Ethanol Washing -------------------------------------------------------- 6

More Chemicals and pH Change ---------------------------------- 7-9

Chemicals Added ------------------------------ 7

Filtering -------------------------------------- 8-9

References ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10-11

PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 3

Introduction

The purpose of this manual is to describe how to prepare an anesthetic nerve block that

contains magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). Following this manual should help you end with an

MNP solution that is ready for use.

Requirements

It is recommended to have had experience with chemistry and laboratory procedures to

avoid self-injury. You will need to follow this manual carefully to make sure what you prepared

is in fact the MNP solution. It is recommended to read through the manual before actively

working through because some processes may take time and youll need to prepare things

beforehand. It is also recommended to review the MSDA sheets of the chemicals before use.

Use all safety equipment for laboratories. This includes goggles, gloves, closed toe shoes,

and full body clothing. These MUST be worn BEFORE you start to ensure safety. Make sure you

know what the safety procedures are and how to follow the procedures if problems occur.

Material requirements are as listed:

Hot Plate with Magnetic Stirring Mechanism

Beakers
Magnetic Mixer
Permanent Magnet
0.2 mm Pore Filter Paper
Ring stand
Iron Ring
Funnel
Required chemicals are as listed:
Fe(acac)3 (20 mmol)
1, 2-dodecanediol (100 mmol)
Oleic acid (60 mmol)
Oleylamine (60 mmol)
Ethanol
PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 4

NaOH
Toluene
DMSA

Possible Issues

There are a few problems that may be met while working through the manual. If you

encounter any issues, first reread the section and make sure you didnt miss anything. For

mechanical issues with the hot plate, make sure it is in fact plugged in. If the magnetic stirrer

isnt working, make sure the hot plate is on. You may just need to obtain a new hot plate. Make

sure your prepared chemical solutions are not diluted due to sitting for too long on the shelf.

Contact Information

For any questions about the manual, email ylo225@uky.edu.

How to Prepare Magnetic Nanoparticles

Step 1: Mixing of Materials

Obtain the needed chemicals in accordance to the list below. Look for labels for the following

materials:

Fe(acac)3 (20 mmol)

1, 2-dodecanediol (100 mmol)
Oleic acid (60 mmol)
PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 5

Oleylamine (60 mmol)

Be very wary of what you grab, some chemicals have very similar names.

Place the magnetic stirrer into the beaker and

then pour in 7.1g of the Fe(acac)3, 20.2g of the 1, 2-

dodecanediol, 16.9g of the oleic acid, and 16g of the

oleylamine. The stirrer will stir for you so you dont

have to stir the solution for 2 hours over a hot plate.

You will then need to place the beaker onto the hot

plate. Then turn on the hot plate to 200 C and turn

on the stirring mechanism. The magnetic stirrer will

Figure 1. Hot Plate with Magnetic Stirrer.
stir the solution to help with the mixing. Let the Heat on left, stirring on right. Retrieved
from http://www.sci-
stirring continue for 2 hours. support.com/images/300/1454.jpg

Then turn the hot plate up to 315 C for 30 minutes to finish the mixing. Let the solution

then cool down to avoid burns during the next section.

Step 2: Ethanol Washing

The current solution will be oversaturated due to this being the easier way to get to a

complete saturation. In order to remove excess particles, we will be needing to ethanol to wash

the solution. Washing in this scenario means to clean the solution by putting in ethanol. Pour in

water to the solution from the previous step. The ethanol will start attracting the excess particles

to it for easier removal. Stir the solution a bit more to have the ethanol contact more of the

excess.
PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 6

Obtain a permanent magnet to attract the precipitate (excess particles) to the side of the

beaker. Swirl the beaker a bit to have more of the excess be attracted to the magnet. Tilt the

beaker and drag the magnet upwards to bring the excess to the edge. Drag and pour the excess

out into a separate beaker for disposal.

Evaporate the ethanol from the solution by letting it sit for 1 hour. Step 2: Ethanol

Washing should be completed multiple times for the best effect and for the best resulting

solution. The less oversaturation the better the solution is.

Step 3: More Chemicals and pH Change

More Chemicals

Add toluene, 80 mL, and DMSA (360 mg) into dimethyl sulfide (20 mL) and the

resulting substances from step 2. Also, place a magnetic stirrer into the beaker and place it onto

the hot plate. This time the hot plate will only be used to stir and not to heat. Turn on the stirring

and let the solution stir for 48 hours.

The anesthesia is now coated with the MNPs. We will now need to again wash the

solution with ethanol, except we will not need to use a magnet to drag out the solution. After

pouring in the ethanol, stir and let the remaining solution evaporate. The resulting black solids
PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 7

are the anesthesia coated with MNPs. We will need to pour these solids into water so we can

change the pH to help filter the solution.

Filtering
The solution needs to be have its pH adjusted to near 10 with NaOH. Add 25 mL of 0.2M

NaOH to the solution. Then, a filter station will need to be set up as Figure 2 shows. The

required materials for the setup is as follows:

Ring stand
Iron Ring
Funnel
0.2 mm Pore Filter Paper
Beaker

Figure 2. Filter set up. Retrieved from:

https://i.stack.imgur.com/wTwSK.jpg

Set up the ring stand and tighten the iron ring onto the ring stand.

Place the funnel, small end down, into the iron ring. Then place the filter into the funnel and the

beaker directly under the funnel. Move the iron ring lower so that the small end of the funnel is

just above the beaker. This is to prevent spillage and splash from drops.
PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 8

Now that the filter station is set up, the solution can be filtered. Pour the solution into the

filter from the top. Let the filter continue until all the liquid is gone. This can take up to a day

because the pores in the filter paper are small and what needs to be filter is also small. Once the

solution has been filtered, replace the old filter with a new filter, disposing of the old one. Repeat

this filtering 3 times to try to keep a pure solution of anesthesia with MNPs.

The solution is now ready for testing and use. Make sure to clean all beakers used and

dispose of any excess materials in accordance to their MSDA sheet specifications.

PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 9

References

Braz, L. G., Braz, D. G., da Cruz, D. S., Fernandes, L. A., Mdolo, N. S. P., & Braz, J. R. C.

(2009, October). Mortality in Anesthesia: A Systematic Review. Clinics, 60(10), 999-

1006. doi:10.1590/S1807-59322009001000011

Bucx, M. J. L., Landman, J. J., van Onzenoort, H. A. W., Kox, M., & Scheffer, G. J. (2014, April

17). Reducing the cost of anaesthesia. Anaesthesia, 69(5), 525-526.

doi:10.1111/anae.12687

Gutierrez, L., Mejias, R., Lazaro, F. J., Serna, C. J., Barber, D. F., & Morales, M. P. (2012,

December 21). Effect of Anesthesia on Magnetic Nanoparticle Biodistribution After

Intravenous Injection. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 49(1), 389-401.

doi:10.1109/TMAG.2012.2221162

Korayem, A., Korayem, M., Taheri, M. (2015, September). Robust Controlled Manipulation of

Nanoparticles Using the AFM Nanorobot Probe. Arabian Journal for Science &

Engineering (Springer Science and Business Media B.V.), 40(9), 2685-2699.

doi:10.1007/s13369-015-1730-x

Li, G., Warner, M., Lang, B. H., Huang, L., & Sun, L. S. (2009, April). Epidemiology of

Anesthesia-related Mortality in the United States, 1999-2005. Anesthesiology, 110(4),

759-765. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697561/

Majstorovi, B. M., Kastratovi, D. A., Milakovi, B. D., Markovi, S. Z., Mijajlovi, M. S.,

Vucovi, D. S. (2012). Costs of anesthetics and other drugs in anesthesia [Abstract].

PREPARING MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES 10

Medicinski Pregled, 65(1-2), 30-34. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22452236

Mantha, V. R. R., Nair, H. K., Venkataramanan, R., Gao, Y. Y., Matyjaszewski, K., Dong, H., Li,

W., Landsittel, D., Cohen, E., & Lariviere, W. R. (2014, June). Nanoanesthesia: A Novel,

Intravenous Approach to Ankle Block in the Rat by Magnet-Directed Concentration of

Ropivacaine-Associated Nanoparticles. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 118(6), 11355-1362.

doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000000175

Senthilnathan, B., Beloy, J., L, S., P, V., & Robertson, S. (2016). Nanorobots A Hypothetical

Concept of Interest. Pharma Science Monitor, 7(3), 70-84. Retrieved from

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uky.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6c232580-

827c-4e18-ab21-25c9d0e9b7cb%40sessionmgr103&vid=5&hid=120