Direct and indirect Raman spectroscopic means to assess TCE in aqueous solutions are contrasted.
OH stretching Raman vibrations of water are observed to be inversely related to TCE concentration.
Detection mechanism takes advantage of the influence of chlorine on the vibrational modes of water.
Water Raman line at 3393 cm−1 9x greater sensitivity to TCE than study of TCE Raman lines.
Tests on simulated biodegraded field samples demonstrate indirect detection in complex samples.