Shpol'skii spectroscopy of metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in primary alcohols at 77 K and 4.2 K

Abstract

We present for the first time experimental evidence on the line-narrowing effect caused by primary alcohols on the spectral features of metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at 77 K and 4.2 K. The investigated metabolites include 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 9-hydroxyphenanthrene, 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, 4-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, 5-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene, B[a]P-trans-7,8-dihydrodiol (±), B[a]P-trans-9,10-dihydrodiol (±), B[a]P-r-7,t-8-dihydrodiol-c-9,10-epoxide (±) and B[a]P-r-7,t-8-dihydrodiol-t-9,10-epoxide(±). The narrowest spectra and highest fluorescence enhancements were observed by matching the length of the alcohol to the length of the n-alkane that best fits the molecular dimensions of the parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The analytical figures of merit show potential for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of PAH metabolites via Shpol'skii Spectroscopy.