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USGS · 70011985

Application of capillary gas chromatography mass spectrometry/computer techniques to synoptic survey of organic material in bed sediment

Thomas R. Steinheimer·Wilfred E. Pereira·Sharon M. Johnson
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Abstract

A bed sediment sample taken from an area impacted by heavy industrial activity was analyzed for organic compounds of environmental significance. Extraction was effected on a Soxhlet apparatus using a freeze-dried sample. The Soxhlet extract was fractionated by silica gel micro-column adsorption chromatography. Separation and identification of the organic compounds was accomplished by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry techniques. More than 50 compounds were identified; these include saturated hydrocarbons, olefins, aromatic hydrocarbons, alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and oxygenated compounds such as aldehydes and ketones. The role of bed sediments as a source or sink for organic pollutants is discussed.

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Thomas R. Steinheimer, Wilfred E. Pereira, Sharon M. Johnson. 1981. Application of capillary gas chromatography mass spectrometry/computer techniques to synoptic survey of organic material in bed sediment. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0003-2670(01)84119-2

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