Molecular environmental science and synchrotron radiation sources
- Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Molecular environmental science is a relatively new field but focuses on the chemical and physical forms of toxic and/or radioactive contaminants in soils, sediments, man-made waste forms, natural waters, and the atmosphere; their possible reactions with inorganic and organic compounds, plants, and organisms in the environment; and the molecular-level factors that control their toxicity, bioavailability, and transport. The chemical speciation of a contaminant is a major factor in determining its behavior in the environment, and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy is one of the spectroscopies of choice to quantitatively determine speciation of heavy metal contaminants in situ without selective extraction or other sample treatment. The use of high-flux insertion device beam lines at synchrotron sources and multi-element array detectors has permitted XAFS studies of metals such as Se and As in natural soils at concentration levels as low as 50 ppm. The X-ray absorption near edge structure of these metals is particularly useful in determining their oxidation state. Examples of such studies will be presented, and new insertion device beam lines under development at SSRL and the Advanced Photon Source for molecular environmental science applications will be discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 466496
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-951017--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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