Continuous flow thin layer headspace (TLHS) analysis

Summary The paper presents a new method of a continuous isolation and determination of volatile organic halogens (VOX) in drinking waters based on so-called thin layer headspace (TLHS) isolation technique. The liberated volatile compounds are mineralized in an empty quartz tube at 850°C and absorbed in a buffered washing solution. After separation of air the halogen ions are determined potentiometrically in a flow-through cell using a silver/silver choride indicating electrode. The potential of the electrode is a linear function of the halogen ion concentration in the washing solution within the VOX concentration range usually encountered in drinking waters. The estimated detection limit of the method is ca. 0.1 g/l VOX and can be further improved by increasing the concentration factor. The theory of the TLHS isolation method has been further developed and verified. The derived dependences enable a simultaneous determination of the effective partition coefficients in the system, thus enabling calculation of the optimal gas flow rate.Part I and II, see [1, 2]