TY - JOUR
T1 - Isotope effects as new proxies for organic pollutant transformation
AU - Hofstetter, Thomas B.
AU - Bolotin, Jakov
AU - Pati, Sarah G.
AU - Skarpeli-Liati, Marita
AU - Spahr, Stephanie
AU - Wijker, Reto S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Schweizerische Chemische Gesellschaft.
PY - 2014/11/1
Y1 - 2014/11/1
N2 - Assessing the pathways and rates of organic pollutant transformation in the environment is a major challenge due to co-occurring transport and degradation processes. Measuring changes of stable isotope ratios (e.g.13C/12C2H/1H, 15N/14N) in individual organic compounds by compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) makes it possible to identify degradation pathways without the explicit need to quantify pollutant concentration dynamics. The so-called isotope fractionation observed in an organic pollutant is related to isotope effects of (bio)chemical reactions and enables one to characterize pollutant degradation even if multiple processes take place simultaneously. Here, we illustrate some principles of CSIA using benzotriazole, a frequently observed aquatic micropollutant, as example. We show subsequently how the combined C and N isotope fractionation analysis of nitroaromatic compounds reveals kinetics and mechanisms of reductive and oxidative reactions as well as their (bio)degradation pathways in the environment.
AB - Assessing the pathways and rates of organic pollutant transformation in the environment is a major challenge due to co-occurring transport and degradation processes. Measuring changes of stable isotope ratios (e.g.13C/12C2H/1H, 15N/14N) in individual organic compounds by compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) makes it possible to identify degradation pathways without the explicit need to quantify pollutant concentration dynamics. The so-called isotope fractionation observed in an organic pollutant is related to isotope effects of (bio)chemical reactions and enables one to characterize pollutant degradation even if multiple processes take place simultaneously. Here, we illustrate some principles of CSIA using benzotriazole, a frequently observed aquatic micropollutant, as example. We show subsequently how the combined C and N isotope fractionation analysis of nitroaromatic compounds reveals kinetics and mechanisms of reductive and oxidative reactions as well as their (bio)degradation pathways in the environment.
KW - Compound-specific isotope analysis
KW - Degradation mechanism
KW - Kinetic isotope effect
KW - Pollutant transformation
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U2 - 10.2533/chimia.2014.788
DO - 10.2533/chimia.2014.788
M3 - Article
C2 - 26508486
AN - SCOPUS:84919719900
SN - 0009-4293
VL - 68
SP - 788
EP - 792
JO - Chimia
JF - Chimia
IS - 11
ER -