Being able to detect and quantify
aqueous anions such as cyanide
(CN-) and perchlorate (ClO4-) in
drinking water and perfluorooctylsulfonate
(PFOS) in wastewater is important
to public health and the environment. Up
until now, ion chromatography or mass
spectrometry were the only ways to detect
microgram-per-litre concentrations of these
anions of concern.
However, this study
discovered that Fournier transform infrared
(FTIR), a common and potentially portable
spectroscopic technique, can be used to
detect and identify certain aqueous anions of
concern at small concentrations in favorable
cases even when competing anions are present.
In addition, the method reported did not
require pretreatment of the aqueous samples
for the detection and identification of the
three substances.
Using the modified crystal and after 60-
min analyses, detection limits for CN-,
ClO4-, and PFOS were 5, 3, and 25 ug/L,
respectively. Previously, a commercial IR
spectrometer could detect these anions only
at concentrations that were 4,000-100,000
times higher. Moreover, an FTIR spectrometer
is more robust and easier to maintain
than an ion chromatograph or a mass
spectrometer.
Although this article does not describe a
new method that is ready for field or plant
use, it reports a scientific discovery that will
be studied in other laboratories. The authors
also predict that manufacturers will pursue
this information to develop new instruments
that will provide water suppliers with a more
robust and potentially far less expensive
device for determining concentrations of
CN-, ClO4-, PFOS, and other substances at
extremely low levels. Includes 44 references, table, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 94 - No. 2 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 420 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 7 |
| Published : | 02/01/2002 |
