Evaluation of aromatic hydrocarbons by spectrofluorometry in marine sediments and biological matrix: what reference should be considered?

Evaluation of total aromatic hydrocarbons in marine samples is usually determined spectrofluorometrically relative to a known reference. This reference may be either a crude oil, or a mixture of certain aromatic hydrocarbons. This work discusses this aspect, showing how the evaluation of total aromatic hydrocarbons contents in marine sediments and organisms depends upon the reference. For evaluating the total aromatic hydrocarbon content in samples, the fluorescence signal of two standards was used systematically as reference. The results obtained varied in the ratio 1 and 1/8 using Ropme oil (crude oil of Kuwait) and chrysene, respectively. (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.