Utilization of Raman Spectroscopy to Identify the Components of Groundwater in Some Western Areas of Saudi Arabia Kingdom

Abstract

The aim of this study is to characterize and identify the components of ground water samples collected from different areas in the western region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using Raman spectroscopy. Water samples were collected from different wells, distances apart, and close in the depths. Fourteen water samples were collected for this study, five of them from ground wells in Jeddah, five from Makah and four samples from wells in Madina in the western region of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The samples were investigated by a Laser Raman spectrometer model LIRA-300. The light source of this spectrometer is a diode laser with wavelength of 532 nm and output power of 40 mW. Each sample was put in the sample cell of the spectrometer by injection of 1mL of water in the cell and Raman spectrum was recorded in the region from 0 to 4000 cm-1. The Raman shift, in wavenumber, and the change in intensities of the scattered light in Raman spectra were compared with data in the references and previous studies. The results showed that the samples contain different materials, beside the water, with different amounts; like: acids, aromatic molecules, salts, amides, alkynes, phenol, and sulfonamide. It was concluded that the Raman spectroscopy provides precise information about the contents of the ground water, Significant differences in the intensities of the peaks and Raman shift in the spectra of the samples were recorded. At the end of the study, a number of recommendations are presented as future work.