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Practical application of 1 H benchtop NMR spectroscopy for the characterization of a nonaqueous phase liquid from a contaminated environment
Author(s) -
Fallaise Darcy,
Balkwill Tweedie Hannah,
Konzuk Julie,
Cheyne Carol,
Mack E. Erin,
Longstaffe James G.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.483
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1097-458X
pISSN - 0749-1581
DOI - 10.1002/mrc.4816
Subject(s) - contamination , chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , spectroscopy , environmental remediation , characterization (materials science) , complex matrix , environmental chemistry , nanotechnology , chromatography , organic chemistry , materials science , quantum mechanics , ecology , physics , biology
Nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) located at the surface of the water table and/or below the water table are often a significant source for groundwater contamination near current or former commercial/industrial facilities. Due to the complex and long history of many industrial sites, these NAPLs often contain a complex mixture of contaminants and as such can be difficult to fully characterize using conventional analytical methods. Remediation and risk assessment activities at sites containing NAPLs may, subsequently, be hindered as the contamination profile may not be fully understood. This paper demonstrates the application of bench‐scale 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as a practical tool to assist with the characterization of complex NAPLs. Here, a NAPL collected from a contaminated site situated near a former chemical manufacturing facility was analyzed using a combination of one‐dimensional (1D) 1 H NMR spectroscopy and two‐dimensional (2D) 1 H J‐resolved spectroscopy (JRES). It is shown that 1D NMR experiments are useful in the rapid identification of the classes of compounds present, whereas 2D JRES NMR experiments are useful in identifying specific compounds. The use of benchtop NMR spectroscopy as a simple and cost effective tool to assist in the analysis of contaminated sites may help improve the practical characterization of many heavily contaminated sites and facilitate improved risk assessments and remedial strategies.