Title: | Fractionation of stable isotope-labeled organic pollutants as a potential tracer of atmospheric transport processes |
Author(s): | Dickhut RM; Padma TV; Cincinelli A; |
Address: | "School of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062, USA. rdickhut@vims.edu" |
ISSN/ISBN: | 0013-936X (Print) 0013-936X (Linking) |
Abstract: | "To test the potential for using stable isotope fractionation to examine the atmospheric transport of semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs), we conducted simplified distillation experiments in the laboratory and a tracer-release experiment using mixtures of stable isotope-labeled (D and 13C) and unlabeled SOCs. Perdeuterated phenanthrene and alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane were transported more slowly via air-water gas exchange in our laboratory experiments, resulting in significant isotope fractionation of perdeuterated/unlabeled compound mixtures. In contrast, isotope fractionation of 13C6-labeled SOCs was much lower. A field tracer-release study was then conducted by spiking a seawater retention pond with a mixture of D10-labeled, 13C2-labeled, and unlabeled phenanthrene and examining isotope fractionation of the mixture after air-water gas exchange. No preferential fractionation of D10-vs 13C2-labeled phenanthrene was observed in the pond water; however, greater fractionation of D10-vs 13C2-labeled phenanthrene was observed in air samples collected within a 1-100 m radius of the pond. Thus, stable isotope tracers may provide a means of examining the atmospheric transport and air-earth exchange rates of POPs in an environmental realistic setting" |
Keywords: | *Air Movements Carbon Isotopes Chemical Fractionation Deuterium *Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollutants/*analysis Isotope Labeling Organic Chemicals/*analysis Volatilization; |
Notes: | "MedlineDickhut, Rebecca M Padma, Tirupponithura V Cincinelli, Alessandra eng Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. 2004/08/10 Environ Sci Technol. 2004 Jul 15; 38(14):3871-6. doi: 10.1021/es034282p" |