Partition coefficients of pyrene to lake aquatic humic matter determined by fluorescence quenching and solubility enhancement

Abstract

Partition coefficients for the binding affinities of pyrene to different humic materials were determined by fluorescence quenching and solubility enhancement techniques. Mathematical methods applied to separate a possible combination of static and dynamic quenching components, which may have contributed to the curvature of the Stern–Volmer plot, were unsuccessful. Fluorescence quenching tends to significantly overestimate the partition coefficient values. Physical–chemical characteristics of different humic materials have no significant effect on the dissimilarity of partition coefficients obtained by these two approaches. The utilization of fluorescence quenching for extensive systematic studies should therefore, be accepted with caution.