Improved analysis of volatile halogenated hydrocarbons in water by purge-and-trap with gas chromatography and mass spectrometric detection

An analytical system composed of a purge-and-trap injection system coupled to gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (PTI-GC-MS) specific for the analysis of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHCs) (chloroform; 1,1,1-trichloroethane; tetrachloromethane; 1,1,2-trichloroethylene; tetrachloroethylene) and trihalomethanes (THMs) (chloroform; bromodichloromethane; dibromochloromethane; bromoform) in water was optimised. Samples were purged and trapped in a cold trap (-100 degrees C) fed with liquid nitrogen (cryo-concentration). In order to make this method suitable also for only slightly contaminated waters, some modifications were made to PTI sample introduction, in order to avoid any air intake into the system. PTI, GC and MS conditions were optimised for halogenated compound analysis and limits of detection (LOD) were evaluated. The proposed method allows analysis of samples whose concentrations range from microg/L to ng/L. It is, therefore, applicable to drinking waters, in analyses required by law, and to slightly contaminated aqueous matrices, such as those found in remote areas, in environmental monitoring. Moreover, by changing cold trap temperature, even sparkling mineral waters can be analysed, thus avoiding CO2 interference during the cryo-concentration phase. Our method has been successfully used on real samples: tap water, mineral water and Antarctic snow.     

顶空-气相色谱法测定水中卤代烃不确定度的评定

采用顶空-气相色谱法对水中三氯甲烷、一溴二氯甲烷、二溴一氯甲烷和三溴甲烷4种卤代烃测定结果的不确定度进行了评定,并对测量重复性、标准差、标准溶液浓度等影响测量结果的不确定度分量进行了分析和量化。当水中三氯甲烷、一溴二氯甲烷、二溴一氯甲烷和三溴甲烷测定结果为18.58、12.74、21.00、18.43μg/L时,其扩展不确定度分别为3.32、2.96、3.14、3.00μg/L(k=2)。     

Application of liquid-phase microextraction to the analysis of trihalomethanes in water

A liquid-phase microextraction method for the determination of trihalomethanes (THMs) including chloroform (CHCl₃), bromodichloromethane (CHBrCl₂), dibromochloromethane (CHBr₂Cl) and bromoform (CHBr₃) in water samples was developed, with analysis by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD). After the determination of the most suitable solvent and stirring rate for the extraction, several other parameters (solvent drop volume, extraction time and ionic strength of the sample) were optimized using a factorial design to obtain the most relevant variables. The optimized extraction conditions for 5 mL of sample volume in a 10 mL vial were as follows: n-hexane an organic solvent; a solvent drop volume of 2 μL; an extraction time of 5.0 min; a stirring rate of 600 rpm at 25 °C; sample ionic strength of 3 M sodium chloride. The linear range was 1-75 μg L⁻¹ for the studied THMs. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.23 μg L⁻¹ (for CHBr₂Cl) to 0.45 μg L⁻¹ (for CHCl₃). Recoveries of THMs from fortified distilled water were over 70% for a fortification level of 15 μg L⁻¹, and relative standard deviations of the recoveries were below 5%. Real samples collected from tap water and well water were successfully analyzed using the proposed method. The recovery of spiked water samples was from 73% to 78% with relative standard deviations below 7%.     

Confirmation of patulin and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in apple juice by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

A gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) method was developed for the confirmation of patulin and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) extracted from apple juice. The extraction is based on the official AOAC method for liquid chromatographic analysis. Juice extracts are quickly and easily derivatized with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoracetamide under mild conditions, and the trimethylsilyl ethers of the analytes are stable for at least several hours. The analytes are determined by GC/MS using an electron-impact source and selected ion monitoring of characteristic ions. For both analytes, the interassay differences between base-peak ratios for samples and standards were all <7.1% (absolute). The presence of patulin was confirmed at fortification levels of about 30-400 microg/L and naturally occurring levels of about 80-400 microg/L. The presence of HMF was also confirmed at levels < or = 2 mg/L. The proposed mass spectral fragmentation pathways of the analytes are presented.     

Single drop liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction of methamphetamine and amphetamine in urine

Single drop liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction (LLLME) combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV detection was investigated for the determination of a popular drug of abuse, methamphetamine (MAP), and its major metabolite, amphetamine (AP), in urine samples. The target compounds were extracted from NaOH modified sample solution to a thin layer of organic solvent membrane, and back-extracted to an acidic acceptor drop suspended on the tip of a 50-microL HPLC syringe in the aforementioned organic layer. This syringe was also used for direct injection after extraction. Factors affecting extraction efficiency were studied. At optimal conditions, the overall enrichment factor (EF) was 500-fold for AP and 730-fold for MAP, respectively. The method exhibited a wide linear range (1.0-1500 microg/L), low detection limit (0.5 microg/L), and good repeatability (RSD<5.0%) for both analytes. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated by the analysis of human urine samples.     

Ionic liquid-based single drop microextraction and room-temperature gas chromatography for on-site ion mobility spectrometric analysis

The combination of ionic liquid-based headspace single drop microextraction (IL-HS-SDME) and room-temperature gas chromatography/ion mobility spectrometry (RTGC-IMS) is presented for the first time using the direct determination of trihalomethanes in waters as model analytical problem. The ionic liquid allows the transference of the analytes from the sample to the analytical system, at the same time that it provides an increase of the sensitivity and selectivity of the determination. An injection unit has been designed to permit the efficient volatilization of the analytes at room temperature and to avoid the entering of IL in the system. The direct combination allows the determination of the halocompounds in a rapid and simple way taking advance of their characteristic IMS spectra. The limits of the detection range between 0.1 ng mL⁻¹ (bromoform) and 0.9 ng mL⁻¹ (chloroform), the reproducibility of the system being better than 7.1% (RSD). The proposed coupling opens up a new horizon in IMS-based applications.     

Development of deep eutectic solvent–based microwave-assisted extraction combined with temperature controlled ionic liquid–based liquid phase microextraction for extraction of aflatoxins from cheese samples

In this study, for the first time, a deep eutectic solvent-based microwave-assisted extraction was combined with ionic liquid–based temperature controlled liquid phase microextraction for the extraction of several aflatoxins from cheese samples. Briefly, the analytes are extracted from cheese sample (3 g) into a mixture of 1.5 mL choline chloride:ethylene glycol deep eutectic solvent and 3.5 mL deionized water by exposing to microwave irradiations for 60 s at 180 W. The liquid phase was taken and mixed with 55 μL 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. By cooling the solution in the refrigerator centrifuge, a turbid state was obtained and the analytes were extracted into the ionic liquid droplets. The analytes were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with fluorescence detector. Low limits of detection (9–23 ng kg^–1) and quantification (30–77 ng kg^–1), high extraction recovery (66%–83%), acceptable enrichment factor (40–50), and good precision (relative standard deviations ≤ 5.2%) were obtained using the offered approach. These results reveal the high extraction capability of the method for determination of aflatoxins in the cheese samples. In this method, there was no need for organic solvents and it can be considered as green extraction method.     

In-tube extraction for enrichment of volatile organic hydrocarbons from aqueous samples

In-tube extraction (ITEX) is a novel solventless extraction technique in which a headspace syringe with a needle body filled with a sorbent (here: Tenax TA) is used. The analytes are extracted from sample headspace by dynamic extraction. The needle body is surrounded by a separate heater, which is used for thermal desorption of analytes into the injection port of a GC system. We report here for the first time the optimization and evaluation of a fully automated analytical method based on ITEX. As target analytes, 19 common groundwater contaminants such as halogenated volatiles and monoaromatic compounds have been chosen. Method related parameters such as extraction temperature, number of extraction cycles, extraction and desorption volume as well as extraction and desorption flow rates were investigated in detail. The linear dynamic range of the ITEX method ranged over six orders of magnitude between 0.028 microg/L and 1218 microg/L with linear correlation coefficients between 0.990 and 0.998 for the investigated compounds. Method detection limits for monoaromatic compounds were between 28 ng/L (ethylbenzene) and 68 ng/L (1,2,4-trimethylbenzene). For halogenated volatile organic compounds, method detection limits between 48 ng/L (chloroform) and 799 ng/L (dichloromethane) were obtained. The precision of the method with external calibration was between 3.1% (chloroform ethylbenzene) and 7.4% (1,2,3-trimethylbenzene).     

New method for determination of trihalomethanes in exhaled breath: Applications to swimming pool and bath environments

A method for the estimation of the human intake of trihalomethanes (THMs), namely chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform, during showering and bathing is reported. The method is based on the determination of these compounds in exhaled breath that is collected by solid adsorption on Tenax using a device specifically designed for this purpose. Instrumental measurements were performed by automatic thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography with electron capture detection. THMs in exhaled breath samples were determined during showering and swimming pool attendance. The levels of these compounds in indoor air and water were also determined as reference for interpretation of the exhaled breath results. The THM concentrations in exhaled breath of the volunteers measured before the exposure experiments showed a close correspondence with the THMs levels in indoor air where the sampler was located. Limits of detection in exhaled breath were dependent on THM analytes and experimental sites. They ranged between 170 and 710 ng m⁻³ in the swimming pool studies and between 97 and 460 ng m⁻³ in the showering studies. Application of this method to THMs determination during showering and swimming pool activities revealed statistically significant increases in THMs concentrations when comparing exhaled breath before and after exposure.     

A simplified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe approach for the determination of trihalomethanes and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes in soil matrices by fast gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection

A method based on simplified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) extraction followed by large-injection volume-fast gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detection has been developed for the determination of trihalomethanes (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) in soil samples.The simplified version of QuEChERS used meets the requirements of the “green chemistry” and provides reliable results with high sample throughput, low solvent consumption, little labour and the use of materials commonly employed in laboratories. The GC device used is equipped with a programmable temperature vaporizer (PTV), with a liner packed with Tenax-TA^®. Using the solvent-vent mode, the PTV allows the injection of large volumes of sample, affording an improvement in the sensitivity of the method. The chromatographic conditions used here allowed the separation of the compounds in less than 5.50 min. Good linearity was obtained for all the target compounds, with highly satisfactory repeatability and reproducibility values. The limits of detection were in the 0.2 to 15 μg kg⁻¹ range. The method was validated by the analysis of two certified reference materials.     

Comparison of three different dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction modes performed on their most usual configurations for the extraction of phenolic,neutral aromatic,and amino compounds from waters

In this work we seek clues to select the appropriate dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction mode for extracting three categories of compounds. For this purpose, three common dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction modes were compared under optimized conditions. Traditional dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, in situ ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, and conventional ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction using chloroform, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, and 1‐hexyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate as the extraction solvent, respectively, were considered in this work. Phenolic, neutral aromatic, and amino compounds (each category included six members) were studied as analytes. The analytes in the extracts were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. For the analytes with polar functionalities, the in situ ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction mode mostly led to better results. In contrast, for neutral hydrocarbons without polar functionalities, traditional dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction using chloroform produced better results. In this case, where dispersion forces were the dominant interactions in the extraction, the refractive index of solvent and analyte predicted the extraction performance better than the octanol/water partition coefficient. It was also revealed that none of the methods were successful in extracting hydrophilic analytes (compounds with the log octanol/water partition coefficient <2). The results of this study could be helpful in selecting a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction mode for the extraction of various groups of compounds.     

Ionic liquid for single‐drop microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐ultraviolet detection to determine carbonyl compounds in environmental waters

A sensitive method based on ionic liquid for single‐drop liquid microextraction coupled with HPLC‐UV was developed for the determination of carbonyl compounds in environmental waters using 1‐octyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C₈min][PF₆] as extraction solvent and 2,4‐dinitrophenylhydrazine as derivatizing agent. The extraction parameters affecting the enrichment factors such as solvent volume, pH, extraction time and salt concentration were investigated. A homemade funnel form polytetrafluoroethylene sleeve was fixed at the tip of the syringe needle and this allowed the use of 10 μL drop of ionic liquid for direct immersion extraction. Under the optimal conditions, the remarkable enrichment factors up to 150‐fold were obtained depending on the target analytes. The method has been validated when rectilinear relationship was obtained between the concentrations of analytes and peak area in the range of 5–100 ng/mL, the correlation coefficients were from 0.995 to 0.998, and the limit of detection was in the range of 0.04–2.03 ng/mL. The method was applied to monitor the concentration of carbonyl compounds in environmental waters with spiked recovery in the range of 84.2–106.9%.     

Determination of trihalomethanes in chlorinated sea water samples using a purge-and-trap system coupled to gas chromatography

In power stations, the cooling effluents are chlorinated to avoid excessive biofouling. Yet, this disinfecting treatment leads to the formation of halogenated by-products, mainly trihalomethanes. So, there is a need for precise and accurate methods that allow trace levels determination of these compounds. A system that combines purge-and-trap and gas chromatography (with an electron capture detector) was used in this study. After careful choice of the experimental conditions, the performance of the system were evaluated. Precise and accurate determinations were obtained, allowing the determination of trihalomethanes in sea water samples chlorinated on site in three French coastal power stations. Bromoform was the predominant component formed, while traces of dibromochloromethane, chloroform and bromodichloromethane were also detected.     

Measurement of the Rates of Diffusion of Halomethanes into Polymer Films Using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy

Polymer-modified attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and FEWS (fibre-optic evanescent wave) spectroscopy have been very successful to date for sensitive detection of organic pollutants in water utilising the mid-infrared (MIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum (4000-400 cm^?1). This sensing approach involves the use of different polymer films for preconcentration with optimisation of the sensor related to the rate of diffusion of solvent molecules into these polymer films. Compounds such as chloroform, bromoform, bromodichloromethane and dibromochloromethane which are collectively referred to as trihalomethanes (THMs) were analysed in this work. A gaseous phase experimental design was used and from experimental data the rate of diffusion of each of the halomethanes was quantified based on a Fickian type diffusion model. Individual diffusion coefficient values were found to be in the range 3.38 E-10 ± 0.01 E-10 to 4.72 E-08 ± 0.42 E-08 cm² s^?1. Multicomponent effects were observed for mixtures of compounds diffusing into polyisobutylene and ethylene-propylene copolymer.     

On‐line monitoring of the dynamics of trihalomethane concentrations in a warm public swimming pool using an unsupervised membrane inlet mass spectrometry system with off‐site real‐time surveillance

To study the long‐term dynamics of trihalomethanes (THMs) in a warm (31–33°C) public swimming pool, we built a robust membrane inlet mass spectrometer that could perform unsupervised, on‐site monitoring of the concentration of these compounds with off‐site, real‐time surveillance. The instrument was installed in a technical room below the pool and operated continuously for more than a year practically only interrupted for filament replacements every 6–8 weeks. One to two days after a filament replacement, the instrument stabilized and kept its calibration until shortly before the next filament burnout. The on‐line monitoring of THMs revealed a daily rhythm in the concentrations of chloroform and bromodichloromethane. They increased during the pool's closing hours and decreased during opening hours with the minimum concentration being approximately half of the maximum. Over the 1 year monitoring period, the variation in the maximum registered daily concentration was 30–100 µg/L for chloroform. The variation of bromodichloromethane was 5–10 µg/L, except during bursts of 1–2 days duration, where the concentration of bromodichloromethane could reach 100 µg/L. The burst in bromodichloromethane concentration was directly correlated with salt addition (sodium chloride) to the pool water for use in the pool's electrolytic in‐line chlorination system. A correlation between THM removal from the pool water and the operation of a strong water jet system was also found. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ionic liquids as mobile phase additives for the high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in water samples

In this work, four ionic liquids differing in the length of the alkyl chain on the imidazolium cation and one ionic liquid containing tetraethylammonium, all with the same counterion, (i.e. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIm-BF(4)), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIm-BF(4)), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (HMIm-BF(4)), 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (MOIm-BF(4)), and tetraethylammonium tetrafluroborate (Et(4)N-BF(4))) were tested as mobile phase additives for HPLC separation of a group of seven basic fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics for human and veterinary use (i.e. fleroxacin, ciprofloxacin, lomefloxacin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin, and difloxacin) using a conventional reversed-phase Nova-Pak C(18) column. Fluorescence detection was used. Among the ionic liquids selected, use of BMIm-BF(4) enabled effective separation of these compounds with relatively low analysis time (14 min). The best separation was achieved by isocratic elution at 1 mL min(-1) with 5 mmol L(-1) BMIm-BF(4) and 10 mmol L(-1) ammonium acetate at pH 3.0 with 13% (v/v) acetonitrile. Limits of detection (LODs) for fluorescence detection were in the range 0.5-11 microg L(-1). The method was tested by analyzing several water samples after the optimization of a suitable solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure using Oasis HLB cartridges. Mean recovery values were above 84% for all analytes with LODs in the range 1-29 ng L(-1).     

Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry for the determination of phthalates preconcentrated by microextraction based on an ionic liquid

A new procedure is proposed for the analysis of migration test solutions obtained from plastic bottles used in the packaging of edible oils. Ultrasound‐assisted emulsification microextraction with ionic liquids was applied for the preconcentration of six phthalate esters: dimethylphthalate, diethylphthalate, di‐n‐butylphthalate, n‐butylbenzylphthalate, di‐2‐ethylhexylphthalate, and di‐n‐octylphthalate. The enriched ionic liquid was directly analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry using direct insert microvial thermal desorption. The different factors affecting the microextraction efficiency, such as volume of the extracting phase (30 μL of the ionic liquid) and ultrasound application time (25 s), and the thermal desorption step, such as desorption temperature and time, and gas flow rate, were studied. Under the selected conditions, detection limits for the analytes were in the 0.012–0.18 μg/L range, while recovery assays provided values ranging from 80 to 112%. The use of butyl benzoate as internal standard increased the reproducibility of the analytical procedure. When the release of the six phthalate esters from the tested plastic bottles to liquid simulants was monitored using the optimized procedure, analyte concentrations of between 1.0 and 273 μg/L were detected.     

Trace level analysis of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and its biodegradation intermediates in liquid media by solid-phase extraction and high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis

The use of solid-phase extraction for the analysis of liquid media containing low microg/L levels of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), mononitroso-RDX (MNX), dinitroso-RDX (DNX), and trinitroso-RDX (TNX) is examined. Aqueous samples (100 mL) consisting of water and a microbiological basal medium are spiked with known concentrations of RDX, MNX, DNX, and TNX. The compounds are extracted from the liquid media using a Porapak RDX cartridge and then eluted from the cartridge with 5 mL of acetonitrile. The eluent is concentrated to 1 mL before analysis by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The method detection limits for RDX are 0.1 microg/L in water and 0.5 microg/L in the basal medium after a 100-fold concentration. For MNX, DNX, and TNX, the method detection limits are approximately 0.5 microg/L in water and approximately 1 microg/L in the basal medium after a 100-fold concentration. Interferences in the basal medium and a contaminant in the standard made quantitation for MNX and TNX, respectively, is less accurate below the 1 microg/L level. Solid-phase extraction of the liquid media gave good recoveries of nitramines and nitroso intermediates from a microbiological basal medium, allowing HPLC detection of RDX and the nitroso intermediates in the low microg/L (ppb) range.     

Examination of analyte partitioning to monocationic and dicationic imidazolium-based ionic liquid aggregates using solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography

Solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography has been used to study the partitioning behaviour of several analytes to four monocationic and two dicationic imidazolium-based ionic liquid (IL) aggregates. The 14 different analytes studied consisted of aliphatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, and esters. The obtained partition coefficients for analytes that exhibited partitioning into the IL-aggregates ranged from 30 to 5200. Hydrophobic analytes (with octanol-water partition coefficients higher than 300) appear to be preferably extracted over more polar analytes revealing the possibility of carrying out selective extractions using these aggregate systems. Monocationic IL-aggregates generally exhibited higher partition coefficients compared to analogous dicationic ILs. The micellar shape of the IL-aggregates also influences the extent of analyte partitioning.     

Determination of halogenated mono-alcohols and diols in water by gas chromatography with electron-capture detection

We have developed an analytical method for the detection of halogenated alcohols in water with particular focus on 3-chloro-1,2-propanediol and 3-bromo-1,2-propanediol. In this method the target analytes are extracted from water, derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride, and then analyzed with gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. The effects of water, pH and seawater constituents on the method were investigated. Method detection limits for a 5 ml aqueous sample ranged from 0.14 microg l(-1) for 2-bromo-1,3-propanediol to 1.7 microg l(-1) for 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3DCP).