SPECTROSCOPIC PROBES FOR HYDROGEN-BONDING, EXTRACTION IMPREGNATION AND REACTION IN SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS

Spectroscopy is used for monitoring a number of processes relevant to solution, extraction and impregnation in supercritical CO2 (scCO2). Ex amples include: a combined infrared (IR) and ultraviolet study of the interaction between para-hydroquinone (HQ) and tributyl phosphate in s cCO2, which reveals hydrogen bonding, detected by the characteristic n u(O-H) IR bands; IR measurement of the solubility of CpMn(CO)3 (CP = e ta5-C5H5) in SCCO2 as a function of temperature and pressure; an inves tigation of the uniformity of supercritical impregnation of CpMn(CO)3 into 4 mm diameter pellets of polyethylene (PE) using Fourier-transfor m infrared (FTIR) microscopy and FTIR depth profiling by photoacoustic detection; and an IR study of the photochemical reaction of CpMn(CO)3 with N2 with PE film.