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Abstract
Surfactant molecules in lake water can alter the rate of exchange of gases at the air-water interface and increase the solubility of pollutants. Here, a method was developed to characterize
the organic composition of surfactants using Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform
Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. This method was also used to investigate the effects of
photochemistry on the composition of surfactant molecules. Surfactants and other large organic
molecules were extracted from water samples collected at Lake Herrick at the University of
Georgia. Irradiation of lake water samples had little effect on the total organic composition
measured with ATR-FTIR. However, samples collected during the day and night showed
spectral differences, suggesting other processes, possibly biological, may impact the composition
of surfactants and organics in the lake water. The concentration of major ions in the lake water
samples was measured using Ion Chromatography, and the results showed elevated K+
and Clconcentrations.