U.S.-Fed. Rep. of Germany Coop. Research: Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectral Studies of Competitive Heavy Metal Binding Reactions with Estuarine and Groundwater Humic Acids

该奖项将支持乔治亚州萨佩洛岛乔治亚大学海洋研究所高级研究生态学家兼主任James J. Alberts博士和德意志联邦共和国兰根联邦卫生局水、地面和空气卫生研究所zdenek K. Filip博士之间为期两年的合作研究项目。科学家们正在合作研究从美国的盐沼河口和德国的地下水中分离出的有毒重金属铜、镉和铅与腐植酸的结合。结合研究将采用选择性离子电极技术，在已知的pH值和离子强度可控的水生基质中进行，并将检查这些腐殖质材料对这些重金属的最大结合能力。此外，本文还将研究常见环境阳离子对竞争性约束的影响。本文将对未络合的腐殖质材料和与元素络合后的腐殖质材料进行傅里叶变换红外光谱分析，以获得金属结合机理的信息。从许多商业过程中进入环境的重金属继续对工业化国家的大部分人口构成潜在的健康危害。这些元素在环境中的命运通常由金属与天然存在的有机化合物（腐殖质）的化学反应控制，这可能导致金属在水生环境中的更大流动性。两种极端重要的环境是地下水，因为地下水被广泛用作饮用水的来源，以及沿海河口，它们通常支持大量的动物和植物种群，具有商业和娱乐价值。了解这些系统中重金属与腐殖质的相互作用对我们理解涉及重金属的基本环境过程至关重要。在这里进行的研究将涉及两个在这些领域具有悠久研究历史的实验室的最先进的分析技术。通过分享互补的专业知识和实验设备，合作的科学家期望在各自的研究项目中取得重大进展。德国Forschungsgemeinschaft为该项目提供德国相应的支持。

This award will support a two-year cooperative research project between Dr. James J. Alberts, Senior Research Ecologist and Director, The University of Georgia Marine Institute, Sapelo Island, Georgia, and Dr.Zdenek K. Filip, Institute for Water-, Ground-, and Air Hygiene, Federal Health Office, Langen, Federal Republic of Germany. The scientists are collaborating in a study of the binding of ions of the toxic heavy metals copper, cadmium, and lead to humic acids isolated from salt marsh estuaries in the United States and from groundwaters in Germany. The binding studies will be conducted with selective ion electrode techniques, in known aquatic matrices of controlled pH and ionic strength, and will examine the maximum binding capacities of these humic materials for these heavy metals. In addition, the effect of competitive binding by common environmental cations will be investigated. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectral analyses will be conducted on the uncomplexed humic materials and on the same materials after complexation to the elements in an effort to obtain information regarding the mechanism of binding by the metals. Heavy metals introduced into the environment from many commercial processes continue to pose a potential health hazard to a large portion of the population in industrialized countries. The fate of these elements in the environment is often controlled by chemical reactions of the metals with naturally occurring organic compounds (humic matter), which may lead to a greater mobility of the metals in aquatic environments. Two such environments which are of extreme importance are groundwaters, because of their widespread use as a source of drinking water, and coastal estuaries, which often support large animal and plant populations and have both commercial and recreational value. Knowledge of the interaction of heavy metals with humic matter in these systems is critical to our understanding of basic environmental processes involving heavy metals. The studies to be carried out here will involve state-of-the-art analytical techniques in two laboratories with long histories of research in these areas. By sharing their complementary expertise and experimental facilities, the cooperating scientists expect to make significant advances in their individual research programs. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is providing German counterpart support for the project.