Applications of infrared spectroscopy in environmental contamination

Abstract

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a widely used, adaptable analytical technique that is utilised for qualitative and quantitative applications towards analysing a large variety of organic, inorganic and biologicals matrices. The technique is based on the measurement of IR radiation, either absorbed or emitted by a sample, as a function of the wavelength in the region 2.5–100 μm, or 4000–100 cm − 1 . The absorption or emission of IR radiation is related to distinct vibrational and rotational transitions in a molecule which allows for identification and analysis of specific functional groups that may be present in a compound. Specifically, with its strong identifying ability, exact determining results and fast response function, the application of IR spectroscopy in environmental matrices gained greater popularity in the last 5 years. In this chapter, our discussion focuses on the application of IR spectroscopy towards environmental contaminations. The various streams of environmental studies that have emerged in the literature, such as pesticides, cyanide, metalloids, heavy metals and more recently, microplastics are discussed. A scan of the literature reveals that the bulk of the work utilising IR spectroscopy in environmental contamination has been within the last decade, so we have also confined our coverage to within the last 5 years to review the most recent contributions.