Undergraduate Abstract

Patrick Ferguson
December 1997

The Use of Spectrofluorimetry and Capillary Electrophoresis/Laser-Induced Fluorescence for the Determination of Fluorescent Dyes in Groundwater Migration Studies

A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction
of the requirement for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts

In

Environmental Studies
University of Nevada Las Vegas

by

Patrick Ferguson

Fall 1997

Thesis Adviser: Dr. William Brumley
Research Chemist
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ABSTRACT

This thesis involves work that was accomplished during a two-year internship at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Environmental Chemistry Branch. The research is an application of trace level determination of fluorescien dyes used as groundwater tracers. The work was preformed to determine whether groundwater could migrate from a Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) site adjacent Superfund site. The research involved using spectrofluorimetry and a new technique called capillary electrophoresis/laser induced fluorescence (CE/LIF) to determine tracer dyes that were injected at the RCRA site and monitored at the Superfund site. Results from spectrofluorimetry were compared to those of CE/LIF. Ce provides required specificity because it is a high-resolution separation technique that depends on ion mobility under free zone electrophoresis. LIF provides a sensitive detection technique for the capillary format of the separation. This study revealed fluorescein and tinopal at low parts per trillion (ppt) levels in the extracts taken from detector pads placed in monitoring wells.