Determination of 1-naphthylacetic acid in commercial formulations and natural waters by solid-phase spectrofluorimetry

A method for the determination of trace amounts of 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) has been developed, based on solid-phase spectrofluorimetry. The relative fluorescence intensity of NAA fixed on Sephadex QAE A-25 gel was measured directly after packing the gel beads in a 1-mm silica cell, using a solid-phase attachment. The wavelengths of excitation and emission were 280 and 336 nm, respectively. The applicable concentration range was from 0.3 to 18 ng/ ml, with a relative standard deviation of 1.4% (for a level of 9 ng/ml) and a detection limit of 0.09 ng/ml. The method was applied to the determination of NAA in commercial formulations and natural waters. The method is more sensitive and selective than other methods described in the literature.