Shpol'skii spectroscopy, a cryogenic high-resolution molecular fluorescence technique with a distinct potential in analytical chemistry

Recent instrumental developments have made Shpol'skii spectroscopy, despite its rather limited range of applicability, an attractive method for qualitative and quantitative purposes in environmental studies. This is shown for parent polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in complex matrices such as sediments and biota, and for PAH-metabolites in fish bile. Extremely low detection limits have been obtainedd for 3-hydroxy-benzo[a]pyrene, i.e. 0.05 ng/ml in bile, which is low enough to allow detection of this metabolite in bile from flounder (Platichthys flesus) living in relative clean areas.