APPLICATION OF INTERNAL REFLECTANCE SPECTROSCOPY TO WATER POLLUTION ANALYSES

Colorimetric and spectrophotometric analytical methods are useful in both qualitative and quantitative analyses in aqueous systems, but a serious drawback in such conventional transmission methods is that the sample must be a homogeneous, transparent solution. The use of internal reflectance spectroscopy, however, circumvents separation steps which must be employed with optically opaque samples. With this technique, direct spectrophotometric analyses of marine sediments, water filtrates, aqueous suspensions, etc., can be carried out. Both visible colorimetric and infrared spectrophotometric methods are described in this paper, along with some representative data and the experimental apparatus, pointing out the potentialities of this technique. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.