Determination of volatile organic compounds in water using ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction followed by gas chromatography

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are toxic compounds in the air, water and land. In the proposed method, ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed for the extraction and determination of eight VOCs in water samples. The influence of each experimental parameter of this method (the type of extraction solvent, volume of extraction solvent, salt addition, sonication time and extraction temperature) was optimized. The procedure for USAEME was as follows: 15 μL of 1-bromooctane was used as the extraction solvent; 10 mL sample solution in a centrifuge tube with a cover was then placed in an ultrasonic water bath for 3 min. After centrifugation, 2 μL of the settled 1-bromooctane extract was injected into the GC-MS for further analysis. The optimized results indicated that the linear range is 0.1-100.0 μg/L and the limits of detection (LODs) are 0.033-0.092 μg/L for the eight analytes. The relative standard deviations (RSD), enrichment factors (EFs) and relative recoveries (RR) of the method when used on lake water samples were 2.8-9.5, 96-284 and 83-110%. The performance of the proposed method was gauged by analyzing samples of tap water, lake water and river water samples.     

Simple and automatic determination of aldehydes and acetone in water by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

We describe a simple and automatic method to determine nine aldehydes and acetone simultaneously in water. This method is based on derivatization with 2,2,2-trifluoroethylhydrazine (TFEH) and consecutive headspace-solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Acetone-d(6) was used as the internal standard. Aldehydes and acetone in water reacted for 30 min at 40°C with TFEH in a headspace vial and the formed TFEH derivatives were simultaneously vaporized and adsorbed on polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene. Under the established condition, the method detection limit was 0.1-0.5 μg/L in 4 mL water and the relative standard deviation was less than 13% at concentrations of 0.25 and 0.05 mg/L. This method was applied to determine aldehydes and acetone in 5 mineral water and 114 surface water samples. All mineral water samples had detectable levels of methanal (24.0-61.8 μg/L), ethanal (57.7-110.9 μg/L), propanal (11.5-11.7 μg/L), butanal, pentanal (3.3-3.4 μg/L) and nonanal (0.3-0.4 μg/L). Methanal and ethanal were also detected in concentration range of 2.7-117.2 and 1.2-11.9 μg/L, respectively, in surface water of 114 monitoring sites in Korea.     

Rapid determination of C6-aldehydes in tomato plant emission by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization

A simple, rapid, sensitive, and solvent-free method was developed for determination of plant-signalling compounds, the three C6-aldehydes hexanal, (Z)-3-hexenal, and (E)-2-hexenal, in tomato plant emission by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with on-fiber derivatization. In this method, O-2,3,4,5,6-(pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBHA) in aqueous solution was first headspace adsorbed onto a 65 microm poly(dimethylsiloxane)/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber at 25 degrees C for 5 min, and then the fiber with adsorbed PFBHA was used for headspace extraction of tomato plant emission at 25 degrees C for 6 min. Finally, the resulting oximes adsorbed on the fiber were desorbed and analyzed by GC-MS. Extraction conditions and method validation were studied. The proposed method had low detection limit values for the three aldehydes from 0.1 to 0.5 ng/L and good precision (RSD less than 10%). In this work, the method was applied to investigation of tomato plant defense response to Helicoverpa armigera.     

Headspace single-drop microextraction with in-drop derivatization for aldehyde analysis

A new technique, headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME) with in-drop derivatization, was developed. Its feasibility was demonstrated by analysis of the model compounds, aldehydes in water. A hanging microliter drop of solvent containing the derivatization agent of O-2,3,4,5,6-(pentaflurobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) was shown to be an excellent extraction, concentration, and derivatization medium for headspace analysis of aldehydes by GC-MS. Using the microdrop solvent with PFBHA, acetaldehyde, propanal, butanal, hexanal, and heptanal in water were headspace extracted and simultaneously derivatized. The formed oximes in the microdrop were analyzed by GC-MS. HS-SDME and in-drop derivatization parameters (extraction solvent, extraction temperature, extraction time, stirring rate microdrop volume, and the headspace volume) and the method validations (linearity, precision, detection limit, and recovery) were studied. Compared to liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase microextraction, HS-SDME with in-drop derivatization is a simple, rapid, convenient, and inexpensive sample technique.     

环境水样中百菌清残留的单滴微萃取-反相液相色谱测定

应用单滴微萃取(SDME)-反相液相色谱(RPLC)检测了环境水样中的百菌清残留.优化了单滴微萃取条件:环己烷萃取剂6 μL、单滴体积2 μL、搅拌速率350 r/min、萃取时间40 min、水溶液温度35 ℃、无盐度.水样经单滴微萃取后,使用Hypersil C18柱反相液相色谱分离测定百菌清.反相液相色谱条件:100%甲醇流动相、流速1.0 mL/min、柱温25 ℃、224 nm检测.方法的线性范围、检出限、相对标准偏差和富集倍数分别为1.0 ～50 μg/L、0.02 μg/L、6.1%和427倍.采用该法对环境水样中的百菌清残留进行了测定,环境水样的加标回收率为98% ～106%.     

固相萃取-衍生化-气相色谱-质谱联用法同时测定尿液中4种阿片类物质

公安机关用胶体金尿检法对海洛因滥用者的检测常常受到阿片类镇咳药的干扰,使用传统液-液提取法进行实验室检验,操作效率低,灵敏度不高,无法满足公安机关打击涉毒案件的需要。为此,该研究建立了尿液中吗啡、O ⁶ -单乙酰吗啡、可待因和乙酰可待因4种阿片类物质的固相萃取和衍生化技术结合气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）同时检测方法。尿样用磷酸盐缓冲液调节至pH=6后,经MCX固相萃取柱净化,用N -甲基-N -（三甲基硅烷基）三氟乙酰胺（MSTFA）对吗啡、O ⁶ -单乙酰吗啡、可待因进行衍生化,供GC-MS检测。考察了上样和洗脱流速、淋洗液中甲酸体积分数、洗脱液中氨水体积分数、3%（v/v）甲酸甲醇淋洗液体积和固相萃取柱吹干时间对萃取效果的影响。确定上样和洗脱流速1.0 mL/min,淋洗液中甲酸体积分数3%,洗脱液中氨水体积分数5%,3%（v/v）甲酸甲醇淋洗液体积1 mL,吹干时间1 min为最佳条件。在此条件下,4种阿片类物质在0.02~0.8 μg/mL范围内线性关系良好（r ² ≥0.998）,检出限（LOD）为0.0016~0.0039 μg/mL,定量限（LOQ）为0.0054~0.0128 μg/mL,当标准添加水平为0.02、0.1、0.2 μg/mL时,回收率为93.0%~110.3%。该方法结合自动化技术,对固相萃取条件精确控制,操作简便、快速、灵敏、准确,适合尿液中吗啡等4种阿片类物质快速测定,可用于海洛因吸食者的大规模监控,并能准确排除因服用含阿片类镇咳药导致的吗啡胶体金尿检假阳性。     

Synthesis of the O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine oximes of selected carbonyl compounds and their determination by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection

The aims were to develop a liquid chromatographic (LC) method with ultraviolet detection (UVD) for O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) O-oximes of common aldehydes and ketones, and to define the steric limits of the synthetic reaction used to make the PFBHA O-oxime standards for gas chromatographic (GC) and LC methods. Ten new O-oximes were synthesized with the new optimized method, and their purities were demonstrated by GC/electron-capture detection (ECD), GC/mass spectrometry (MS), ultraviolet spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and proton and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Ketones substituted at both beta-carbons relative to the carbonyl carbon, like diisobutyl ketone and 2,4-hexanedione, showed lower synthetic yields by wet chemistry methods. A new C18 reverse-phase LC method with UVD at 200 nm and acetonitrile-water in both the isocratic and gradient-elution modes was then developed to sensitively resolve a mixture of 13 pure PFBHA O-oximes. The detection limit was near 100 ng O-oxime/mL or about 14-50 ng aldehyde/mL and the least quantifiable limits were near 500 ng/mL or about 70-250 ng aldehyde/mL, with lower limits for glyoxal, methylglyoxal, benzaldehyde, and acetophenone. Carbonyl compounds in 500 mL water samples were then determined in distilled water and tap water by gradient elution. Vapors of n-valeraldehyde and acrolein generated in gas bags at concentrations near occupational guidelines were also sampled, desorbed, and then determined by either isocratic or gradient elution at 200 or 254 nm within 30-45 min.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides in water samples by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid and simple dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed to preconcentrate eighteen organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from water samples prior to analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The studied variables were extraction solvent type and volume, disperser solvent type and volume, aqueous sample volume and temperature. The optimum experimental conditions of the proposed DLLME method were: a mixture of 10 μL tetrachloroethylene (extraction solvent) and 1 mL acetone (disperser solvent) exposed for 30 s to 10 mL of the aqueous sample at room temperature (20 °C). Centrifugation of cloudy solution was carried out at 2300 rpm for 3 min to allow phases separation. Finally, 2 μL of extractant was recovered and injected into the GC-MS instrument. Under the optimum conditions, the enrichment factors ranged between 46 and 316. The calculated calibration curves gave a high-level linearity for all target analytes with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.9967 and 0.9999. The repeatability of the proposed method, expressed as relative standard deviation, varied between 5% and 15% (n = 8), and the detection limits were in the range of 1-25 ng L⁻¹. The LOD values obtained are able to detect these OCPs in aqueous matrices as required by EPA methods 525.2 and 625. Analysis of spiked real water samples revealed that the matrix had no effect on extraction for river, surface and tap waters; however, urban wastewater sample shown a little effect for five out of eighteen analytes.     

分散液液微萃取-气相色谱/质谱法测定水中多环芳烃

用分散液液微萃取-气相色谱/质谱法测定水样中的16种多环芳烃(PAHs)。通过实验确定最佳萃取条件为:20μL四氯化碳作萃取剂,1.0 mL乙腈作分散剂,超声萃取1 min。在优化条件下,多环芳烃的富集倍数达到216～511,方法在0.05～50μg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数(R2)在0.9873～0.9983之间,检出限为0.0020～0.14μg/L。相对标准偏差(RSD)在3.82%～12.45%(n=6)之间。该方法成功用于实际水样中痕量多环芳烃的测定。     

Analyses of polychlorinated biphenyls in waters and wastewaters using vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method was developed for viable and rapid determination of seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water samples with vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (VALLME) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). At first, the most suitable extraction solvent and extraction solvent volume were determined. Later, the parameters affecting the extraction efficiency such as vortex extraction time, rotational speed of the vortex, and ionic strength of the sample were optimized by using a 2(3) factorial experimental design. The optimized extraction conditions for 5 mL water sample were as follows: extractant solvent 200 μL of chloroform; vortex extraction time of 2 min at 3000 rpm; centrifugation 5 min at 4000 rpm, and no ionic strength. Under the optimum condition, limits of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.36 to 0.73 ng/L. Mean recoveries of PCBs from fortified water samples are 96% for three different fortification levels and RSDs of the recoveries are below 5%. The developed procedure was successfully applied to the determination of PCBs in real water and wastewater samples such as tap, well, surface, bottled waters, and municipal, treated municipal, and industrial wastewaters. The performance of the proposed method was compared with traditional liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) of real water samples and the results show that efficiency of proposed method is comparable to the LLE. However, the proposed method offers several advantages, i.e. reducing sample requirement for measurement of target compounds, less solvent consumption, and reducing the costs associated with solvent purchase and waste disposal. It is also viable, rapid, and easy to use for the analyses of PCBs in water samples by using GC-MS.     

超声辅助乳化液液微萃取-气相色谱-质谱分析水中的人工合成麝香

将超声辅助乳化与液液微萃取技术结合,建立了水体中人工合成麝香的气相色谱-质谱分析方法.优化前处理条件,包括萃取剂、萃取剂体积、萃取时间、萃取温度及离子强度的选择.结果表明:在10 mL水样中,加入50 μL氯苯作为萃取剂,4 0 MHz超声10 min,混匀,以4000 r/min离心10 min,移取下层有机相进样分析,效果佳.样品的富集倍数可达200倍,8种人工合成麝香在0.005～0.4 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.994;检出限为0.3～0.5 ng/L;水样中加标回收率为96.2％～102.9％;相对标准偏差为2.3％～4.1％.本方法灵敏、快速、准确,可满足环境水样中痕量人工合成麝香监测的质控要求.     

Determination of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons in water samples by static headspace gas chromatography with electron capture detection

A simple, efficient, solvent‐free, and commercial readily available approach for determination of five volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons in water samples using the static headspace sampling and gas chromatography with electron capture detection has been described. The proposed static headspace sampling method was initially optimized and the optimum experimental conditions found were 10 mL water sample containing 20% w/v sodium chloride placed in a 20 mL vial and stirred at 50ºC for 20 min. The linearity of the method was in the range of 1.2–240 μg/L for dichloromethane, 0.2–40 μg/L for trichloromethane, 0.005–1 μg/L for perchloromethane, 0.025–5 μg/L for trichloroethylene, and 0.01–2 μg/L for perchloroethylene, with coefficients of determination ranging between 0.9979 and 0.9990. The limits of detection were in the low μg/L level, ranging between 0.001 and 0.3 μg/L. The relative recoveries of spiked five volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons with external calibration method at different concentration levels in pure, tap, sea water of Jiaojiang Estuary, and sea water of waters of Xiaomendao were in the range of 91–116, 96–105, 86–112, and 80–111%, respectively, and with relative standard deviations of 1.9–3.6, 2.3–3.5, 1.5–2.7, and 2.3–3.7% (n = 5), respectively. The performance of the proposed method was compared with traditional liquid–liquid extraction on the real water samples (i.e., pure, tap, and sea water, etc.) and comparable efficiencies were obtained. It is concluded that this method can be successfully applied for the determination of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons in different water samples.     

A new strategy to simultaneous microextraction of acidic and basic compounds

The simultaneous extraction of acidic and basic pollutants from water samples is an interesting and debatable work in sample preparation techniques. A novel and efficient method named ion pair based surfactant assisted microextraction (IP-SAME) was applied for extraction and preconcentration of five selected acidic and basic aromatic species as model compounds in water samples, followed by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection. A mixture including 1 mL of ultra-pure water (containing ionic surfactant as emulsifier agent) and 60 μL 1-octanol (as extraction solvent) was rapidly injected using a syringe into a 10.0 mL water sample which formed an emulsified solution. IP-SAME mechanism can be interpreted by two types of molecular mass transfer into the organic solvent (partitioning and ion pairing for non-ionized and ionized compounds, respectively) during emulsification process. The effective parameters on the extraction efficiency such as the extraction solvent type and its volume, type of the surfactant and its concentration, sample pH and ionic strength of the sample were optimized. Under the optimum conditions (60 μL of 1-octanol; 1.5 mmol L(-1) cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as emulsifier agent and sample pH 10.0), the preconcentration factors (PFs), detection limits and linear dynamic ranges (LDRs) were obtained in the range of 87-348, 0.07-0.6 μg L(-1) and 0.1-200 μg L(-1) respectively. All of natural water samples were successfully analyzed by the proposed method.     

有机悬浮固化分散液-液微萃取测定水样中痕量铅

建立了以二乙基二硫代氨基甲酸钠为配位剂,十二醇为萃取剂,乙醇为分散剂的悬浮固化分散液-液微萃取—火焰原子吸收光谱法测定水样中痕量铅的方法。详细探讨了影响萃取效率的因素。优化条件为:二乙基二硫代氨基甲酸钠的用量为10-6 mol,十二醇体积为90.00μL,乙醇体积为1.00 mL,pH为7.00。在最佳条件下,铅的检出限为1.12μg/L,富集倍率为16.00,线性范围5.00～600.00μg/L,对含有20.00μg/L和600.00μg/L Pb的标准溶液平行萃取测定11次,测定结果的RSD分别为3.73%和2.62%。本方法应用于自来水、河水及海水中痕量铅的分析,加标回收率为90.10%～100.70%。     

Determination of chlorobenzenes in pure,tap, and sea water by static headspace gas chromatography‐electron capture detection

A simple, efficient, solvent‐free, and commercial readily available approach for determination of 11 chlorobenzenes (CBs) in water samples using the static headspace (HS) sampling and gas chromatography‐electron capture detector has been described. The proposed static HS sampling method was initially optimized and the optimum experimental conditions found were 10 mL water sample containing 20% (w/v) sodium chloride placed in a 20 mL vial and stirred at 70°C for 30 min. The linearity of the method ranged from 0.16 to 8.0 μg/L for dichlorobenzene isomers, 0.0176～0.88 μg/L for trichlorobenzene isomers, 0.004～0.2 μg/L for tetrachlorobenzene isomers, and from 0.001 to 0.05 μg/L for pentachlorobenzene and hexachlorobenzene, with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.9992 and 0.9999. The limits of detection were in the low μg/L level, ranging between 0.0002 and 0.04 μg/L. The relative recoveries of spiked CBs with external calibration or standard addition method at different concentration levels in pure, tap, and sea water samples were 83～116%, 89～108%, and 93～112%, respectively, and with relative standard deviations of 1.9～6.3%, 1.6～5.4%, and 2.5～5.7% (n = 5), respectively. It is concluded that this method can be successfully applied for the determination of CBs in pure, tap, and sea water samples.     

Sensitive determination of amide herbicides in environmental water samples by a combination of solid‐phase extraction and dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction prior to GC–MS

In this paper, solid‐phase extraction (SPE) in combination with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed as a sample pretreatment method with high enrichment factors for the sensitive determination of amide herbicides in water samples. In SPE–DLLME, amide herbicides were adsorbed quantitatively from a large volume of aqueous samples (100 mL) onto a multiwalled carbon nanotube adsorbent (100 mg). After elution of the target compounds from the adsorbent with acetone, the DLLME technique was performed on the resulting solution. Finally, the analytes in the extraction solvent were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Some important extraction parameters, such as flow rate of sample, breakthrough volume, sample pH, type and volume of the elution solvent, as well as salt addition, were studied and optimized in detail. Under optimum conditions, high enrichment factors ranging from 6593 to 7873 were achieved in less than 10 min. There was linearity over the range of 0.01–10 μg/L with relative standard deviations of 2.6–8.7%. The limits of detection ranged from 0.002 to 0.006 μg/L. The proposed method was used for the analysis of water samples, and satisfactory results were achieved.     

悬浮固化分散液液微萃取-高效液相色谱法测定水体中邻苯二甲酸酯

建立了悬浮固化分散液液微萃取（SFO-DLLME）结合高效液相色谱（HPLC）快速测定水样中6种邻苯二甲酸酯（PAEs）的分析方法。通过对影响萃取效率因素的优化,确定了最佳萃取条件：十二烷醇萃取剂20 μL、萃取温度60℃、离子强度20 g/L、萃取时间1 min。6种PAEs在2~2000 μg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,相关系数（r）为0.9995~0.9999,检出限（S/N=3）为0.3~0.6 μg/L。对自来水、湖水、江水、污水、海水、市售塑料瓶装纯净水和矿泉水进行测定,能检测到部分PAEs。对加标水样进行回收率试验（10、100和1000 μg/L）,6种PAEs的回收率为84.9%~94.5%,相对标准偏差为4.1%~6.8%（n=5）。该法环保、简单,可用于实际水样中6种PAEs的检测分析。     

Analysis of aldehydes in excipients used in liquid/semi-solid formulations by gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Monitoring of low-molecular-weight aldehyde levels in excipients used in liquid/semi-solid based capsule (LFC) dosage forms plays a critical role in the development of these pharmaceutical products. A simple, sensitive and specific method based on gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) utilizing an Rtx-5MS capillary column was developed and validated for the detection and quantification of C1-C8 aliphatic aldehydes in LFC excipients at sub-microg/g levels. The proposed procedure is based on the derivatization of aldehydes in 10:1 (v/v) acetonitrile:water with O-2,3,4,5,6-(pentafluorobenzyl) hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA), followed by direct GC analysis of aldehyde-PFBHA-oxime derivatives with negative chemical ionization (NCI) MS detection. The method developed was successfully applied to the analysis of short chain aldehydes in 30 typical LFC excipients. An example case study on the formation and growth of aldehydes in these excipients under accelerated storage conditions is also reported.     

Low-density solvent-based solvent demulsification dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the fast determination of trace levels of sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental water samples

For the first time, the low-density solvent-based solvent demulsification dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction was developed for the fast, simple, and efficient determination of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental samples followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis. In the extraction procedure, a mixture of extraction solvent (n-hexane) and dispersive solvent (acetone) was injected into the aqueous sample solution to form an emulsion. A demulsification solvent was then injected into the aqueous solution to break up the emulsion, which turned clear and was separated into two layers. The upper layer (n-hexane) was collected and analyzed by GC-MS. No centrifugation was required in this procedure. Significantly, the extraction needed only 2-3 min, faster than conventional DLLME or similar techniques. Another feature of the procedure was the use of a flexible and disposable polyethylene pipette as the extraction device, which permitted a solvent with a density lighter than water to be used as extraction solvent. This novel method expands the applicability of DLLME to a wider range of solvents. Furthermore, the method was simple and easy to use, and some additional steps usually required in conventional DLLME or similar techniques, such as the aforementioned centrifugation, ultrasonication or agitation of the sample solution, or refrigeration of the extraction solvent were not necessary. Important parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method provided a good linearity in the range of 0.05-50 μg/L, low limits of detection (3.7-39.1 ng/L), and good repeatability of the extractions (RSDs below 11%, n=5). The proposed method was successfully applied to the extraction of PAHs in rainwater samples, and was demonstrated to be fast, efficient, and convenient.     

Reverse micelle-mediated dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid

A supramolecular solvent consisting of reverse micelles of decanoic acid, dispersed in a continuous phase of tetrahydrofuran:water, was proposed as an efficient microextraction technique for extraction of selected chlorophenoxy acid herbicides from water samples prior to high-performance liquid chromatography UV determination. The disperser solvent (1.0 mL tetrahydrofuran) containing 20 mg decanoic acid was rapidly injected into 10.0 mL of water sample. After centrifugation, the reverse micelle-rich phase (25 ± 0.5 μL) was floated at top of the home-designed centrifuge tube. The solvent was collected and 20 μL of it was injected into high-performance liquid chromatography for analysis. The results showed that the in situ solvent formation and extraction process can be completed in a few seconds. Under the optimal conditions, limits of detection of the method for 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid were in the range of 0.5-0.8 μg L(-1) and the repeatability of the proposed method, expressed as relative standard deviation, varied in the range of 2.5-3.2%. Linearity was found to be in the range of 1-200 μg L(-1) and the preconcentration factors were between 148 and 157. The mean percentage recoveries exceeded 92.0% for all the spiking levels in real water samples.