Sorption selectivity in natural organic matter studied with nitroxyl paramagnetic relaxation probes.
Sorption site selectivity and mechanism in natural organic matter (NOM) were addressed spectroscopically by the sorption of paramagnetic nitroxyl compounds (spin probes) of different polarity, TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl) and HTEMPO (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl). The sorbents were Pahokee peat, Beulah-Zap lignite, and a polystyrene-poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PS-PVME) polymer blend representing the mixed aliphatic-aromatic, polar-nonpolar character of NOM. Nuclear-electron spin interaction serves as an efficient relaxation pathway, resulting in attenuation of the (13)C-CP/TOSS NMR signal for (13)C nuclei in proximity to the N-O· group (r(-6) dependence). In the natural solids the spin probes sorbed more specifically (greater isotherm nonlinearity) and had lower rotational mobility (broader electron paramagnetic resonance signals) than in PS-PVME. Titration with spin probe indicated almost no selectivity for the different carbon functional groups of PS-PVME, and little to no selectivity for the different carbon moieties of Pahokee and Beulah, including aromatic, alkyl, O-alkyl, di-O-alkyl, and O-methyl. In any case, sorption site selectivity of spin probes to NOM was always weaker than partition selectivity found in model solvent-water (toluene, hexadecane, anisole, octanol) and cellulose-water systems. The results indicate little or no preferential sorption in NOM based on functional group chemistry or putative microdomain character, but rather are consistent with the filling of pores whose walls have an average chemical environment reflecting the bulk chemical composition of the solid. This work demonstrates for the first time the use of paramagnetic probes to study sorption specificity.
Department of Environmental Sciences, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, Connecticut 06504, USA.
Charisma
C
Lattao
Xiaoyan
X
Cao
Yuan
Y
Li
Jingdong
J
Mao
Klaus
K
Schmidt-Rohr
Mark A
MA
Chappell
Lesley F
LF
Miller
Albert Leo
AL
dela Cruz
Joseph J
JJ
Pignatello
D000327:Adsorption; D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis*; D003497:Cyclic N-Oxides / Q000032:analysis*; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides / Q000032:analysis*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D011145:Polyvinyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D013113:Spin Labels
D003031:Coal; D003497:Cyclic N-Oxides; D009589:Nitrogen Oxides; D011137:Polystyrenes; D011145:Polyvinyls; D012987:Soil; D013113:Spin Labels; C039900:nitroxyl; C003959:TEMPO