Structural Determination of Petroleum Photoproducts: Gas Phase, Water Soluble, and Oil Soluble Components

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In this project funded by the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Matthew Tarr of the University of New Orleans is developing new methods to understand how oil spilled in ocean environments is transformed by sunlight. Such methods help identify the chemicals formed when crude oil is subjected to photochemical changes in the environment. The nature and behavior of these products are important in oil spill remediation. The project involves collaboration with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. In addition, the project trains young scientists through direct involvement of high school students, high school teachers, and undergraduate students. This project identifies the types of compounds formed when crude oil is exposed to sunlight and investigates structures of photoproducts present in the gas phase, the aqueous phase, and the oil phase. The project utilizes fractionation methods, chromatography, and derivatization to assess the functional groups present in photoproducts. The study also utilizes a wide range of analytical tools, including gas chromatography, liquid chromatography, fluorescence spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry (including GC-MS, LC-MS, electrospray MS, and high resolution electrospray FTICR-MS) in order to gain a complete picture of oil photochemistry. The results of this project will be important for understanding the fate of spilled oil and improving predictive models for oil spill remediation. Additional broader impacts include training of future scientists and exposing teachers to environmental research.