Interaction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with dissolved and sediment associated humic materials

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6086551

Gauthier, T D

A fluorescence quenching method was developed for determining association constants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)s with dissolved and sediment bound humic materials. The technique is based upon the observation that PAH fluorescence in aqueous solution is quenched upon association with humic material. Association constants are derived from the fractional decrease in fluorescence intensity as a function of added humic material using Stern-Volmer plots. No separation is required and since the technique involves a ratio measurement the exact concentration of pollutant is not required. Anthracene-humic acid association constants normalized to the fraction of organic carbon in the sorbent (K/sub oc/), determined by fluorescence quenching, correlated quite well with K/sub oc/ estimates determined by a reversed-phase procedure. The long term reproducibility was +/- 3.8% relative standard deviation. In a separate study, determination of PAH in Great Bay sediments by extraction and capillary gas chromatography produced a very good correlation between the total PAH concentration and the organic matter content of the sediments.

• Research Organization: New Hampshire Univ., Durham (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6086551
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201* -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
510200 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY
HUMIC ACIDS
HYDROCARBONS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
QUENCHING
SPECTROSCOPY