Determination of organochlorine pesticides in water using microwave assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography

A coupled technique, microwave-assisted headspace solid-phase microextraction (MA-HS-SPME), was investigated for one-step in situ sample pretreatment for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) prior to gas chromatographic determination. The OCPs, aldrin, o,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, dieldrin, alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan, endosulfan sulfate, endrin, delta-HCH, gamma-HCH, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, methoxychlor and trifluralin were collected by the proposed method and analyzed by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (GC-ECD). To perform the MA-HS-SPME, six types of SPME fibers were examined and compared. The parameters affecting the efficiency in MA-HS-SPME process such as sampling time and temperature, microwave irradiation power, desorption temperature and time were studied to obtain the optimal conditions. The method was developed using spiked water samples such as field water and with 0.05% humic acid in a concentration range of 0.05-2.5 microg/l except endosulfan sulfate in 0.25-2.5 microg/l. The detection was linear over the studied concentration range with r2>0.9978. The detection limits varied from 0.002 to 0.070 microg/l based on S/N=3 and the relative standard deviations for repeatability were <15%. A certified reference sample of OCPs in aqueous solution was analyzed by the proposed method and compared with the conventional liquid-liquid extraction procedure. These results are in good agreement. The results indicate that the proposed method provides a very simple, fast, and solvent-free procedure to achieve sample pretreatment prior to the trace-level screening determination of organochloride pesticides by gas chromatography.     

Dynamic extraction in microcolumn as a method for the sample preparation of oil-contaminated soils

A method is proposed for the sample preparation of oil-contaminated soils based on the dynamic extraction of petroleum products in a microcolumn of special design. By an example of the analysis of GSO (State Standard Sample) 8673-2005 of an oil-contaminated soil and model soil samples, a comparative evaluation of the efficiency of dynamic and batch (shaking in a shaker) extraction for the sample preparation of oil-polluted soils is carried out. The concentration of petroleum products in the extracts was determined by IR spectrometry. It was shown that the recovery of petroleum products into carbon tetrachloride in extraction in a microcolumn is, on the average, 50% higher than that in mixing the sample and reagent in a shaker. The rapid and efficient extraction of petroleum products in a microcolumn is possible because of dynamic extraction occurring at a constant renewal of the reagent.     

Application of Head-Space Analysis with Passive Adsorption for Forensic Purposes in the Automated Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry System

Offenders often use petroleum products as accelerants to commit an arson. A multi-component mixture of organic compounds isolated from the fire debris significantly differs from the initial one. These changes result from many factors, i.e. evaporation of the volatile components or presence of some organic compounds in the sample, which do not originate from the petroleum product (e.g. extinguishing medium components, products of pyrolysis of the burned material). The aim of presented research was to evaluate the influence of these factors. A series of experiments were carried out, and the analytical procedure was worked out. The headspace analysis with passive adsorption or the liquid extraction with ultrasonification was used for separation and concentration of the analytes. The mixture of organic compounds (accelerants, pollutants) was identified by the use of gas chromatography hyphenated with mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA) and likelihood ratio approach (LR) were applied to distinguish between evaporated samples of kerosene and diesel fuel. The elaborated procedure was verified both, witch inter-laboratory tests and using it for examinations of simulated fire debris.     

Assessment and assurance of quality in water measurement by coulometric Karl Fischer titration of petroleum products

The precise and accurate determination of water in petroleum products—gasoline, diesel oil and aromatic hydrocarbons—is of significant importance for their normal functional and operational characteristics for economics as well as in meeting international requirements. The standard method ISO 12937 for the measurement of water by the coulometric Karl Fischer titration method was subject to within-laboratory assessment. Thereby it was established that the analytical procedure could not always be relied upon, especially when low levels of water were determined. The aim of this work is to assess each stage of the test procedure depending on the particular problems defined by the samples, using high-reactive Karl Fischer reagents and coulometric cells with and without a diaphragm, and to indicate the major factors causing the uncertainty. A reduced combined uncertainty was achieved by modifying the sample preparation step, the administration of the moisture in the coulometric cell, and sample injection manipulation. Experiments showed that the cell without the diaphragm ensures lower and uniform uncertainty of the measurements in the range of 0.01 to 10 mg H₂O in comparison to the cell with a diaphragm and therefore is more appropriate for the determination of low water levels in the petroleum products. A procedure that utilized a mixture of the reagent and toluene (10:6) was able to resolve the problem of two phases of formation and reduced conductivity of the reagent in direct titration of diesel oils. The results suggest that the modified procedure ensures relative expanded uncertainty equal to or less than 2.0% (n=5, confidence interval close to 95%) and 99.4% recovery for petroleum products investigated in repeatability conditions.     

The determination of petroleum hydrocarbons in soil using a miniaturized extraction method and gas chromatography

A gas chromatographic (GC) method for the determination of petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) in the boiling range from 175°C to 525°C (C₁₀?C₄₀ alkane) in soil was evaluated. The extraction was carried out using minimal amounts of acetone and heptane, prior to a clean up with silica gel. The extraction procedure was tested by means of standard solutions of petroleum products and soil samples. The clean up procedure did not have any significant effect on the amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons present and hydrocarbons of natural origin were removed effectively. The recovery of the extraction and clean up procedure for petroleum products in soil was greater than 90%. The standard deviation for the repeatability was estimated to be less than 10% based on multiple analyses of homogenized soil samples. The detection limit for soil was determined to be 10 mg/kg dry matter. Comparing the GC method with the widely used infrared spectrometry (IR) method in combination with a Soxhlet-extraction using Freon-113, the results obtained are equivalent.     

Detecting trace amounts of water in hydrocarbon matrices with infrared fiberoptic evanescent field sensors

Water is a common contaminant in a variety of industrial oils and petroleum products. Thus, the detection of water in these products is of substantial relevance. Hence, this study focuses on quantifying trace amounts of water in hydrocarbons using hexane as a model system for industrial oils and petroleum matrices via mid-infrared (MIR) evanescent field absorption spectroscopy. A silver halide fiberoptic waveguide was used to interrogate in situ water-in-hexane emulsions. Either unmodified fibers or waveguides surface-modified with polyacrylic acid layers were used. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) of water in hexane utilizing tin-crosslinked polyacrylic acid modified fibers were 76 and 170 ppm, respectively. Consequently, the IR absorption signature of water in hexane is detectable at concentrations as low as 10 ppm. The proposed fiberoptic sensing strategy requires a single measurement only, requires no sample preparation, and thus has potential for the direct in situ detection and monitoring of water in industrial oils and petroleum products.     

Chemical characterization and screening of hydrocarbon pollution in industrial soils by headspace solid-phase microextraction.

A headspace solid-phase microextraction method, followed by a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis, has been developed for the screening of soil samples polluted by coal tar or refined petroleum products. Vapor pressures of target analytes were determined using a capillary GC method to identify environmentally important components with a sufficiently high vapor pressure to be analyzed in the headspace mode. The method was optimized under non-equilibrium conditions with simplicity and automation in mind and does not require any extraction procedure or sample preparation, other than grinding, drying and homogenizing. The analytical performance and the significance of the results for the purpose of chemical characterization, source discrimination, determination of individual isomer distributions and to calculate source or weathering ratios, is discussed.     

Optimization of a single-drop microextraction procedure for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with gas chromatography-flame photometric detection

A single-drop microextraction (SDME) procedure was developed for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in water and fruit juice by gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection (GC-FPD). The significant parameters affecting the SDME performance such as selection of microextraction solvent, solvent volume, extraction time, stirring rate, sample pH and temperature, and ionic strength were studied and optimized. Two types of SDME mode, static and cycle-flow SDME, were evaluated. The static SDME procedure provided more sensitive analysis of the target analytes. Therefore, static SDME with tributyl phosphate (TBP) as internal standard was selected for the real sample analysis. The limits of detection (LODs) in water for the six studied compounds were between 0.21 and 0.56 ng/mL with the relative standard deviations ranging from 1.7 to 10.0%. Linear response data was obtained in the concentration range of 0.5-50 ng/mL (except for dichlorvos 1.0-50 ng/mL) with correlation coefficients from 0.9995 to 0.9999. Environmental water sample collected from East Lake and fruit juice samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, but none of the analytes in both lake water and fruit juice were detected. The recoveries for the spiked water and juice samples were from 77.7 to 113.6%. Compared with the conventional methods, the proposed method enabled a rapid and simple determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water and fruit juice with minimal solvent consumption and a higher concentration capability.     

Sulfur trace determination in petroleum products by isotope dilution ICP-MS using direct injection by thermal vaporization (TV-ICP-IDMS)

An accurate, sensitive, and fast method for direct determination of total sulfur in petroleum products after thermal vaporization of an isotope-diluted sample was developed by using ICP-MS. ³⁴S-labelled dibenzothiophene spike was used for the isotope dilution step. The isotope-diluted sample was injected into a thermal vaporizer which was directly connected by a heated transfer line to the plasma torch. Sample transport was achieved by using a helium gas flow, and the isotope ratio ³⁴S/³²S was determined within seconds after injection. No other sample preparation other than the simple and fast isotope dilution step, which enables accurate and sensitive determination of sulfur at high sample throughputs, is necessary. Thus, this technique fits all needs for routine analyses. Validation of the TV-ICP-IDMS method was carried out by analyzing the certified gas oil reference materials BCR672 and BCR107. Comparison of results for noncertified low- and high-boiling samples, obtained from an ICP-IDMS microwave-assisted digestion method, also resulted in very good agreement. The low detection limit of 40 ng/g and the large dynamic range of TV-ICP-IDMS fulfill all necessities to allow analysis of sulfur in different petroleum products, e.g., even at the low concentration level of ‘sulfur-free’ gasoline.     

Determination of Total Organic Sulfur in Petroleum Products

A procedure was proposed for determining total organic sulfur in petroleum products. The procedure involves the exhaustive hydrogenolysis of sulfur-containing compounds in an autonomous quartz flow reactor under a hydrogen atmosphere at 1000 ± 50°C with the trapping of the hydrogen sulfide formed in an aqueous solution of an alkali followed by the gas-chromatographic determination of H₂S in the trapping solution using dynamic reaction gas extraction and selective flame-photometric detection. The determination limit was 0.01 wt % for sample volumes below 30 L; the relative standard deviation was 7% on average.     

In-situ derivatisation of degradation products of chemical warfare agents in water by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis

A new analytical procedure was developed for the extraction of degradation products of chemical warfare agents from water and for in-situ derivatisation prior to analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). With this new procedure, degradation products of the chemical warfare agents can be analysed and identified without going through laborious sample preparation. Parameters such as fiber selection, pH, salt content, derivatisation temperature, extraction and derivatisation periods, and sequence of adsorption/derivatisation were experimented with, to optimise the efficiency of this method. The detection limit is in the ppb to sub-ppb range with GC-MS in the full scan mode. Based on six injections of the devised procedure, a relative standard deviation from 10-35% can be achieved, depending on the compound. This method was demonstrated during the 4th International Interlaboratory Proficiency Test organised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to be comparable to existing recommended operating procedures for verification of degradation products of chemical warfare agents.     

Total sulfur determination in gasoline,kerosene and diesel fuel using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after direct sample introduction as detergent emulsions

Herein, we present the development of a procedure for the determination of total sulfur in petroleum-derived products (gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel) employing inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). For this procedure, samples were prepared as emulsions that were made using concentrated nitric acid, Triton X-100, sample, and ultra pure water in proportions of 5/10/7/78% (v/v), respectively. Sample volumes were weighed because of the density differences, and oxygen was added to the sheat gas entrance of the ICP OES in order to decrease carbon deposition in the torch and to minimize background effects. A Doehlert design was applied as an experimental matrix to investigate the flow ratios of argon (sheat and plasma gas) and oxygen in relation to the signal-to-background ratio. A comparative study among the slopes of the analytical curves built in aqueous media, surfactant/HNO₃, and by spike addition for several sample emulsions indicates that a unique solution of surfactant in acidic media can be employed to perform the external calibration for analysis of the emulsions. The developed procedure allows for the determination of the total sulfur content in petroleum derivatives with a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.72 and 2.4 μg g^− 1, respectively. Precision values, expressed as the relative standard deviations (% RSD, n = 10) for 12 and 400 μg g^− 1, were 2.2% and 1.3%, respectively. The proposed procedure was applied toward the determination of total sulfur in samples of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel commercialized in the city of Niterói/RJ, Brazil. The accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated by the determination of the total sulfur in three different standard reference materials (SRM): NIST 2723a (sulfur in diesel fuel oil), NIST 1616b (sulfur in kerosene), and NIST 2298 (sulfur in gasoline). The data indicate that the methodology can be successfully applied to these types of samples. Spiking tests, conducted with the analyzed samples, indicate that recoveries are between 97 and 103%.     

Selective chemical ionization of nitrogen and sulfur heterocycles in petroleum fractions by ion trap mass spectrometry

A procedure is reported for the selective ammonia chemical ionization of some nitrogen and sulfur heterocycles in petroleum fractions using ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS). The ion trap scan routine is designed to optimize the population of ammonium reagent ions and eject from the trap (by radio frequency/direct current isolation) electron ionization products formed during reagent ion formation prior to ionization of the sample. The ITMS procedure is compared with standard ion trap detector and conventional quadrupole ammonia chemical ionization for the determination of nitrogen and sulfur heterocycles in gas oil and kerosine samples. Greatly enhanced selectivity is shown for the ITMS procedure by suppression of competing charge-exchange processes.     

Photometric determination of mercaptans in light petroleum products

A procedure for the photometric determination of mercaptan sulfur in light petroleum products was developed. This procedure is based on the formation of colored analytical species in an aqueous extract to an alkaline solution of sodium nitroprusside. The determination level was 3 mg/L at a sample volume of 1 mL.     

毛细管柱气相色谱法测定液化石油气中二甲醚含量

建立毛细管柱气相色谱法测定液化石油气中二甲醚含量的分析方法。采用静止进样法直接进样,用PLOT–Q毛细管色谱柱进行分离,以FID检测器进行检测,外标法进行定量分析。液化石油气中二甲醚的含量(体积分数)在0%~20.0%范围内与其色谱峰面积呈良好线性关系,线性相关系数r=0.999 9,方法检出限为0.05%(体积分数),测定结果的相对标准偏差小于5%(n=6),回收率在98.2%~102.9%之间。该方法与校正面积归一法测定结果相一致。该方法准确、快速、简便,适用于液化石油气中二甲醚含量的检测。     

Polyvinylimidazole/sol–gel composite as a novel solid‐phase microextraction coating for the determination of halogenated benzenes from aqueous solutions

A polyvinylimidazole/sol–gel composite is proposed as a novel solid‐phase microextraction fiber to extract five halobenzenes from the headspace of aqueous solutions in combination with gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The prepared fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The obtained results showed that porous polyvinylimidazole/sol–gel composite was chemically deposited on fused silica fiber. The effect of important extraction parameters including extraction temperature, extraction time, and salt content were investigated. The optimum conditions were as follows: extraction temperature 25°C, extraction time 20 min, and salt concentration 30 w/v%. Detection limits and relative standard deviations of the developed method for halogenated benzenes were below 0.1 pg/mL and 15%, respectively. Repeatability of the proposed method, explained by relative standard deviation, varied between 5.48 and 9.15% (n = 5). The limits of detection (S/N = 3) ranged between 0.01 and 0.10 ng/L using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring mode. For real sample analysis, three types of water samples with different matrices (ground, surface, and tap water) were studied. The optimized procedure was applied to extraction and method validation of halogenated benzenes in spiked water samples.     

Analysis of trace contamination of phthalate esters in ultrapure water using a modified solid-phase extraction procedure and automated thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The present study was aimed to develop a procedure modified from the conventional solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for the analysis of trace concentration of phthalate esters in industrial ultrapure water (UPW). The proposed procedure allows UPW sample to be drawn through a sampling tube containing hydrophobic sorbent (Tenax TA) to concentrate the aqueous phthalate esters. The solid trap was then demoisturized by two-stage gas drying before subjecting to thermal desorption and analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This process removes the solvent extraction procedure necessary for the conventional SPE method, and permits automation of the analytical procedure for high-volume analyses. Several important parameters, including desorption temperature and duration, packing quantity and demoisturizing procedure, were optimized in this study based on the analytical sensitivity for a standard mixture containing five different phthalate esters. The method detection limits for the five phthalate esters were between 36 ng l(-1) and 95 ng l(-1) and recovery rates between 15% and 101%. Dioctyl phthalate (DOP) was not recovered adequately because the compound was both poorly adsorbed and desorbed on and off Tenax TA sorbents. Furthermore, analyses of material leaching from poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) tubes as well as the actual water samples showed that di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were the common contaminants detected from PVC contaminated UPW and the actual UPW, as well as in tap water. The reduction of DEHP in the production processes of actual UPW was clearly observed, however a DEHP concentration of 0.20 microg l(-1) at the point of use was still being quantified, suggesting that the contamination of phthalate esters could present a barrier to the future cleanliness requirement of UPW. The work demonstrated that the proposed modified SPE procedure provided an effective method for rapid analysis and contamination identification in UPW production lines.     

Optimization of conditions for the determination of the organic matter content of waters by reagentless oxithermography and its application to the analysis of natural waters

To determine the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water by oxithermography, we studied a high-temperature reactor with two inputs of the gas flow. Such a design allowed the creation of an internal circuit of the oxygen–inert gas (argon) binary flow in the reactor for the oxidation of organic substances and the determination of COD by the decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the binary mixture. The optimum operation parameters of the instrument, affecting the analytical characteristics of the method, were determined. The detection limit for a water sample of the volume 10 µL was 3.4 mg O/L. It was shown that the oxithermograph and the proposed procedure can be used for the determination of COD in drinking and natural waters of Bryansk oblast. The approach developed has an advantage, consisting in the reagentless rapid determination of the COD of waters without preliminary sample preparation.     

Determination of trihalomethanes in soil matrices by simplified quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged and safe extraction and fast gas chromatography with electron capture detection

A method based on QuEChERS extraction is proposed for the determination of trihalomethanes (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromocloromethane and bromoform) in soil samples. The new version of QuEChERS adapted to soil samples consists of liquid extraction with ethyl acetate, the addition of water to moisten the samples, salting-out partitioning of the water with anhydrous MgSO₄, and direct injection of the organic extract, obtained after the centrifugation step, into the gas chromatograph. This simplified extraction procedure maintains the advantages of the original method and avoids some steps, making the final procedure simpler, faster, and cheaper, with the consequent reduction in errors associated with sample manipulation. The experimental conditions of the analytical method, based on fast gas chromatography (FGC) and micro-electron capture detection (μECD), were optimized. The column and oven program used allowed fast separation of the compounds in less than 4 min and the total analysis cycle time was as short as 10 min. The existence of a matrix effect was checked and the analytical conditions of the method were studied in a fortified garden soil sample. The highly sensitive and selective detector used afforded to detection limits in the order of ng/kg for the target compounds. To validate the proposed method two certified reference materials (CRMs) were analyzed.