Headspace Single-Drop Microextraction with Gas Chromatography for Determination of Volatile Halocarbons in Water Samples

A simple, rapid and inexpensive procedure for extraction and analysis of volatile halocarbons in water samples was presented using the headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME) technique and gas chromatography with microcell electron capture detector (GC-μECD). Operation parameters. such as extraction solvent. headspace volume. organic drop volume. salt concentration. temperature and sampling time, were studied and optimized. Extraction of 10 volatile halocarbon compounds was achieved using the optimized method. Calibration curves of 10 target compounds yielded good linearity in the respective range of concentration (R ² ≥ 0.9968, chlorodibromomethane in the concentration range of 0.05–50 μg/L). The limits of detection were found between 0.002 (tetrachloroethene) and 0.374μg/L (1,1,2-trichloroethane). and relative standard deviations (RSD%) ranged between 4.3 (chloroform) and 9.7% (1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane). Spiked recoveries of tap water and ground water agreed well with the known values between 118.97 (20.0μg/L of 1,1,2-trichloroethane) and 82.61% (10.0μg/L of tetrachloroethene), demonstrating that the HS-SDME combined GC-μECD was a useful and reliable technique for the rapid determination of volatile halocarbon compounds in water samples.     

Headspace Liquid-Phase Microextraction of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Plasma, and Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detection

A novel method for analysis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in blood plasma has been developed by combining headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. HS-LPME conditions, for example working solution volume, salt concentration, and extraction temperature and time, were optimized by means of an L₉ (3⁴) orthogonal array design. The effects on extraction efficiency of the type of solvent and the volume of the microdrop, the pH of the sample matrix, and the stirring rate were examined. Under optimum conditions the linear calibration ranges for SCFA were from 0.08 to 80 µg mL^?1 (r ²>0.9921) with detection limits of 0.02 to 0.08 µg mL ^?1 and relative standard deviation less than 9.81%. Recovery from spiked blood plasma samples was more than 70.5%. The method was satisfactorily applied to analysis of SCFA in rat blood plasma samples from the blind-loop model.     

Response surface optimisation applied to a headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in water matrices

A new method for the simultaneous determination of 12 volatile organic compounds (trans-1,2-dichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethene, toluene, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, tetrachloroethene, ethylbenzene, m-, p-, o-xylene) in water samples by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS–SPME)–gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was described, using a 100?µm PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) coated fibre. The response surface methodology was used to optimise the effect of the extraction time and temperature, as well as the influence of the salt addition in the extraction process. Optimal conditions were extraction time and temperature of 30?min and ?20°C, respectively, and NaCl concentration of 4?mol?L^?1. The detection limits were in the range of 1.1?×?10^?3–2.3?µg?L^?1 for the 12 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Global uncertainties were in the range of 4–68%, when concentrations decrease from 250?µg?L^?1 down to the limits of quantification. The method proved adequate to detect VOCs in six river samples.     

Headspace liquid-phase microextraction using ionic liquid as extractant for the preconcentration of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites at trace levels in water samples

A novel technique, high temperature headspace liquid-phase microextraction (HS-LPME) with room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C₄MIM][PF₆]) as extractant, was developed for the analysis of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p′-DDT and o,p′-DDT) and its metabolites including 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE) and 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p′-DDD) in water samples by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The parameters such as salt content, sample pH and temperature, stirring rate, extraction time, microdrop volume, and sample volume, were found to have significant influence on the HS-LPME. The conditions optimized for extraction of target compounds were as follows: 35% NaCl (w/v), neutral pH condition, 70 °C, 800 rpm, 30 min, 10 μL [C₄MIM][PF₆], and 25 mL sample solutions. Under the optimized conditions, the linear range, detection limit (S/N = 3), and precision (R.S.D., n = 6) were 0.3-30 μg L⁻¹, 0.07 μg L⁻¹, and 8.0% for p,p′-DDD, 0.3-30 μg L⁻¹, 0.08 μg L⁻¹, and 7.1% for p,p′-DDT, 0.3-30 μg L⁻¹, 0.08 μg L⁻¹, and 7.2% for o,p′-DDT, and 0.2-30 μg L⁻¹, 0.05 μg L⁻¹, and 6.8% for p,p′-DDE, respectively. Water samples including tap water, well water, snow water, reservoir water, and wastewater were analyzed by the proposed procedure and the recoveries at 5 μg L⁻¹ spiked level were in the range of 86.8-102.6%.     

Ligandless-ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry for simultaneous determination of heavy metals in water samples

In this study, a simple and efficient method of ligandless-ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (LL-USAEME) followed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) has been developed for simultaneous extraction, preconcentration and determination of manganese, cadmium, cobalt and nickel in water samples. In the proposed approach, tetrachloroethylene was selected as extraction solvent. The effect of important experimental factors such as volume of extraction solvent, pH, sonication time, salt concentration, and temperature was investigated by using a fractional factorial design (2^5?1) to identify important factors and their interactions. In the next step, a Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied for optimisation of significant factors. The obtained optimal conditions were: 30?µL for extraction solvent, 12 for pH, 5?min for sonication time, and 5% w/v for salt concentration. The limits of detections (LODs) for Cd(II), Co(II), Mn(II) and Ni(II) were 0.20, 0.13, 0.21 and 0.28?µg?L^?1, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSD, C?=?200.0?µg?L^?1, n?=?9) were between 3.4–7.5% and the calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.25 to 1000.0?µg?L^?1 for Mn, 0.5–1000.0?µg?L^?1 for Co and Ni and 1.0–250.0?µg?L^?1 for Cd. The determination coefficients (R ²) of the calibration curves for the analytes were in the range of 0.993 to 0.999. The proposed method was validated by using two certified reference materials, and also the method was applied successfully for the determination of heavy metals in different real water samples.     

Determination of Mycotoxins Using Hollow Fiber Dispersive Liquid–Liquid–Microextraction (HF-DLLME) Prior to High-Performance Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC - MS/MS)

A modified hollow-fiber-supported dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (HF-DLLME) method was developed for the determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in food samples. The various parameters affecting the efficiency of extraction, such as pH, salt addition, extraction time, stirring rate, desorption time, type and volume of extractant and disperser solvents were carefully studied and optimized using two step strategies. The linearity of the evaluated results was 0.1 to 30?μg L^?1 for aflatoxins and 0.1 to 20?μg L^?1 for ochratoxin A, with regression coefficients (R²) exceeding 0.9990. The precision was satisfactory with relative standard deviation values less than 11%. The method accuracy was within the recommended range from 70% to 120% and analyte accuracy between 83% and 101%. The limits of detection and quantification were in the range from 0.04 to 0.06?μg L^?1 and 0.08 to 0.13?μg L^?1, respectively, for multi-aflatoxins, and 0.02 to 0.04?µg L^?1 and 0.08 to 0.10?µg L^?1, respectively, for ochratoxin A. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of mycotoxins in food samples.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides in river water using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction and gas chromatography–electron capture detection

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) coupled with gas chromatography–electron capture detection (GC–ECD), has been developed for the extraction and determination of 14 organochlorine pesticides (hexachlorocyclohexanes (α-HCH, β-HCH and δ-HCH), Lindane (γ-HCH), Aldrin, Dieldrin, Endrin, Heptachlor, Heptachlor epoxide, α-Chlordane, β-Chlordane and p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDE) in river water samples. Factors relevant to the microextraction efficiency, such as the kind of extraction and disperser solvent, their volume and the salt effect was investigated and optimised. In this method the appropriate mixture of extraction solvent (13.5 µL carbon disulphide) and disperser solvent (0.50 mL acetone) were rapidly injected into the aqueous sample by syringe. The values of the detection limit of the method were in the range of 0.05–0.001 µg L^?1, while the relative standard deviations for five replicates varied from 2.7 to 9.3%. A good linearity (0.9894 ≤ r ² ≤ 0.9998) and a broad linear range (0.01–200 µg L^?1) were obtained. The method exhibited enrichment factors ranging from 647 to 923, at room temperature. The relative standard deviations varied from 2.7 to 9.3% (n = 5). The relative recoveries of each pesticide from water samples at spiking levels of 2.00 and 10.0 µg L^?1 were 88.0–111.0% and 95.8–104.1%, respectively. Finally, the proposed method was successfully utilised for the preconcentration and determination of the organochlorine pesticides in the Jajrood River water samples.     

Microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry: a suitable detection system for the determination of volatile halocarbons

Microwave induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MIP-AES), a highly sensitive detection system for organometal compounds, was coupled to an automated purge and trap gas chromatographic system for the determination of volatile halogenated hydrocarbons in environmental water samples. Optimisation of the parameters affecting the injection and detection system led to relative detection limits from 1 to 14 ng · L^–1 for chlorine- and bromine-compounds and from 10 to 75 ng · L^–1 for iodine-compounds, on basis of a 10 mL sample volume. A comparison of the analytical characteristics between atomic emission detection (AED) and electron capture detection (ECD) showed a lower sensitivity of the atomic emission detector for halocarbons, but the detection thresholds are low enough to use the method for the determination of volatile halocarbons in trace level concentrations. The ability of the atomic emission detector provides increased selectivity for monitoring individual halogenated compounds under simplified and rapid chromatographic conditions, within a total analysis time of only 30 min. The method was applied with gas chromatographic separation for the analysis of sea water samples. Concentrations for the different elements between 0.05 and 15.28 μg · L^–1 were determined.     

Application of Single Drop Extraction (SDE) Gas Chromatography Method for the Determination of Carbonyl Compounds in Spirits and Vodkas

Abstract

The application of single drop extraction (SDE) for isolation and enrichment of carbonyl compounds after derivatization with O‐(2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine in spirits and vodkas is discussed. The optimal parameters (extraction volume, drop volume, content of ethyl alcohol, sample volume, temperature and time of extraction) for isolation and preconcentration of C₁–C₆ aldehydes from alcoholic matrices were established. The developed SDE‐gas chromatography (GC)‐electron capture detection (ECD), an extraction method, allows the determination of low molecular aldehydes at level lower than 1 µg dm^?3. The overall analysis time without derivatization is 35 minutes. The procedure was applied for the determination of aldehydes in real alcoholic beverages (vodkas). The simplicity and cost‐effectiveness of the proposed procedure makes it a good alternative to solid phase microextraction (SPME) and other more labor‐intensive methods.     

Development of magnetic dispersive microsolid-phase extraction using lanthanum phosphate nanoparticles doped on magnetic graphene oxide as a highly selective adsorbent for pesticide residues analysis in water and fruit samples

Magnetic graphene oxide/lanthanum phosphate nanocomposite (MGO@LaP) was synthesized and used as an efficient adsorbent for magnetic dispersive microsolid-phase extraction (MD-µ-SPE) of pesticides before gas chromatography–electron capture detector (GC–ECD) analysis. The adsorbent was thoroughly characterized with scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Optimized extraction conditions were investigated concerning extraction time, adsorbent amount, sample pH, and salt amount as well as desorption conditions (type and volume of desorption solvent and desorption time). Under the optimal conditions, the method demonstrated good linearity (3–1500 µg L^?1) with satisfactory determination coefficients of >?0.997 and low detection limits for both chlorpyrifos (0.67 µg L^?1) and hexaconazole (0.89 µg L^?1). Finally, the method showed high analyte relative recoveries in the range of 78–120% for the determination of the selected pesticides in water and fruit juice samples.

     

Custom-Made C18 Column for Simultaneous Determination of Endocrine Disrupting Substances in Water by Diode-Array and Fluorescence Detectors

A C₁₈ stationary phase was synthesized for a custom-made HPLC column. When compared to a commercial C₁₈ column, better chromatographic performances were obtained. This column was successfully applied for simultaneous determination of p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene in waters by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with dual detectors (diode array and fluorescence detectors) combined with solid phase extraction. Low method detection limits were obtained, i.e., p,p′-DDT: 0.5 µg L^?1, o,p′-DDT: 1 µg L^?1, benzo(a)anthracene: 2.5 ng L^?1, benzo(b)fluoranthene: 5 ng L^?1, and benzo(a)pyrene: 2.5 ng L^?1. High recoveries that ranged from 82 to 94% were obtained for all compounds.     

Simultaneous Determination of Antimony(III) and Molybdenum(VI) by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry Using Quercetin as Complexing Agent

A sensitive and selective voltammetric method for simultaneous determination of Sb(III) and Mo(VI) using Quercetin (Q) as complexing agent is described. Optimal conditions were found to be: pH 3.7, C_Q=6.0 µmol L^?1 and E_acc=?0.10 V. The LOD (3σ) for Sb(III) are 0.076 and 0.040 µg L^?1, whereas for Mo(VI) are 0.086 and 0.048 µg L^?1 with t_acc of 60 and 120 s, respectively. The method was validated using synthetic sea water (ASTM D665) and was applied to the determination of Sb(III) and Mo(VI) in natural waters with satisfactory results.     

Sensitive determination of Fenamiphos in water samples by flow injection photoinduced chemiluminescence

In this work, a sensitive flow injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method for the determination of nematicide Fenamiphos in a rapid and simple way is proposed. Fenamiphos is first photodegraded in basic medium. These photofragments react with Ce(IV) providing the chemiluminescence signal. To the authors’ knowledge, no chemiluminescence method has been described in the literature for the determination of the nematicide Fenamiphos. All physical and chemical parameters in the flow injection chemiluminescence system were optimized in order to obtain the best sensitivity, selectivity and sample throughput. Before the injection of the sample in the FI-CL system, a preconcentration step with solid phase extraction C18 cartridges was performed. By applying solid phase extraction (SPE) to 250?mL of standard (final volume 10?mL), the linear dynamic range was between 3.4 and 60?µg?L^?1, and the detection limit was 1?µg?L^?1. When SPE was applied to 500?mL of standard (final volume 10?mL), the detection limit was 0.5?µg?L^?1. These detection limits are below the emission limit value established by the Spanish Regulations of the Hydraulic Public Domain for pesticides (50?µg?L^?1) and of the same order as the limit established for total pesticides (0.5?µg?L^?1) at European Directive on the quality of water for human consumption. The sample throughput was 126 hour^?1. Intraday and interday coefficients of variation were below 10% in all cases. No interference was registered in presence of usual concentrations of anions, cations and other organophosphorus pesticides. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of environmental water samples, obtaining recoveries between 96 and 107.5%.     

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of three carbamate pesticides in water samples

A simple, rapid and efficient method, dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), has been developed for the determination of three carbamate pesticides (methomyl, carbofuran and carbaryl) in water samples. In this extraction process, a mixture of 35 µL chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 1.0 mL acetonitrile (disperser solvent) was rapidly injected into the 5.0 mL aqueous sample containing the analytes. After centrifuging (5 min at 4000 rpm), the fine droplets of chlorobenzene were sedimented in the bottom of the conical test tube. Sedimented phase (20 µL) was injected into the HPLC for analysis. Some important parameters, such as kind and volume of extraction and disperser solvent, extraction time and salt addition were investigated and optimised. Under the optimum extraction condition, the enrichment factors and extraction recoveries ranged from 148% to 189% and 74.2% to 94.4%, respectively. The methods yielded a linear range in the concentration from 1 to 1000 µg L^?1 for carbofuran and carbaryl, 5 to 1000 µg L^?1 for methomyl, and the limits of detection were 0.5, 0.9 and 0.1 µg L^?1, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for the extraction of 500 µg L^?1 carbamate pesticides were in the range of 1.8–4.6% (n = 6). This method could be successfully applied for the determination of carbamate pesticides in tap water, river water and rain water.     

Effervescence-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent for preconcentration and FAAS determination of copper in aqueous samples

A new effervescence-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, EA-DLLME, technique was developed for preconcentration and flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper in aqueous samples. Effervescence assistance and DES combination for metal ion extraction was used for the first time. In the presented study, six different effervescence powders were examined to achieve maximum extraction efficiency. In addition, 1,5 diphenyl carbazide was used as complexing agent and DES prepared by mixing choline chloride and phenol was used as extraction solvent. The effect of several parameters such as pH, concentration of complexing agent, composition and volume of DES, amount of THF, composition and amount of effervescent agent were examined. Performed experiments showed that optimum pH was 6.0, the best effervesce powder composition was NaH₂PO₄:Na₂CO₃ with 2 × 10^?3:1 × 10^?3 molar ratio and the amount of effervesce powder was 0.4 g. Under optimum conditions enhancement factor, limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated as 78, 2.9 and 9.7 μg L^?1, respectively. In addition, to prove precision of the method intra-day relative standard deviations were calculated for 10 and 50 μg L^?1 Cu²⁺ concentrations and found as 2.1% and 1.3%, respectively. The proposed method showed good linearity within the range of 10.0–100 μg L^?1. Finally, proposed method was successfully applied to determination of copper traces in aqueous samples.     

Cloud point extraction for the determination of cadmium and lead employing sequential multi-element flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A cloud point extraction procedure for pre-concentration and determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water using sequential multi-element flame atomic absorption spectrometry is described. 4-(2-thiazolylazo)-orcinol (TAO) has been used as complexing agent and the micellar phase was obtained using the non-ionic surfactant octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol (Triton X-114) and centrifugation. The conditions for reaction and extraction (surfactant concentration, reagent concentration, effect of incubation time, etc) were studied and the analytical characteristics of the method were determined. The method allows the determination of cadmium and lead with quantification limits of 0.30?µg?L^?1 and 2.6?µg?L^?1, respectively. A precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD, n?=?10) of 2.3% and 2.6% has been obtained for cadmium concentrations of 10?µg?L^?1 and 30?µg?L^?1, respectively, and RSD of 1.3% and 1.7% for lead concentrations of 10?µg?L^?1 and 30?µg?L^?1, respectively. The accuracy was confirmed by analysis of a natural water certified reference material. The method has been applied for the determination of cadmium and lead in drinking water samples collected in the cities of Ilhéus and Itabuna, Brazil. Recovery tests have also been performed for some samples, and results varied from 96 to 105% for cadmium and 97 to 106% for lead. The cadmium and lead concentrations found in these samples were always lower than the permissible maximum levels stipulated by World Health Organization and the Brazilian Government.     

Simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of iron species using orthogonal signal correction–generalized partial least squares calibration method after vortex-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

A vortex-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method in combination with UV–Vis spectrophotometry was developed for the simultaneous extraction and determination of iron species. In this method, Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ were complexed with pyridine-2-amidoxime, neutralized through ion pair formation with sodium dodecyl sulfate, and extracted into the fine droplets of chloroform. After centrifugation, the absorbance of the extracted complexes was recorded in the wavelength range of 360–700 nm. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency such as the pH, the type and volume of the extraction solvent, ligand concentration, and sample volume were optimized. The individual iron species was then determined by means of the orthogonal signal correction–generalized partial least squares method. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curves were linear over the range of 2.0–100 and 3.0–200 µg L^?1 with detection limits of 0.4 µg L^?1 for Fe²⁺ and 0.8 µg L^?1 for Fe³⁺, respectively. The relative standard deviations for intra- and inter-day assays (n = 5) were 2.3 and 4.0 for Fe²⁺ at 50 µg L^?1 and 2.7 and 4.3 for Fe³⁺ at 30 µg L^?1, respectively. The enhancement factors of 77 and 69 were achieved for Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of iron species in water samples.     

Headspace liquid-phase microextraction of methamphetamine and amphetamine in urine by an aqueous drop

This study developed a headspace liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) method by using a single aqueous drop in combination with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV detection for the determination of methamphetamine (MAP) and amphetamine (AP) in urine samples. The analytes, volatile and basic, were released from sample matrix into the headspace first, and then protonated and dissolved in an aqueous H₃PO₄ drop hanging in the headspace by a HPLC syringe. After extraction, this drop was directly injected into HPLC. Parameters affecting extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized. This method showed good linearity in the investigated concentration range of 1.0-1500 μg L⁻¹, repeatability of the extraction (R.S.D. < 5%, n = 6), and low detection limits (0.3 μg L⁻¹ for both analytes). Enrichment factors of about 400-fold and 220-fold were achieved for MAP and AP, respectively, at optimum conditions. The feasibility of the method was demonstrated by analyzing human urine samples.     

Temperature-controlled headspace liquid-phase microextraction device using volatile solvents

A novel temperature-controlled headspace liquid-phase microextraction (TC-HS-LPME) device was established in which volatile solvents could be used as extractant. In this device, a PTFE vial cap with a cylindrical cavity was used as the holder of the extraction solvent. Up to 40 μl of extraction solvent could be suspended in the cavity over the headspace of aqueous sample in the vial. A cooling system based on thermoelectric cooler (TEC) was used to lower the temperature of extractant in PTFE vial cap to reduce the loss of volatile solvent during extraction process and increase the extraction efficiency. The selection of solvents for HS-LPME was then extended to volatile solvents, such as dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and acetone. The use of volatile extraction solvents instead of semi-volatile solvent reduced the interference of the large solvent peak to the analytes peaks, and enhanced the compatibility of HS-LPME with gas chromatograph (GC). Moreover, the use of larger volume of extractant solvent increases the extraction capacity and the injection volume of GC after extraction, thus improving detection limits. Several critical parameters of this technique were investigated by using chlorobenzenes (CBs) as the model analytes. High enrichment factors (498–915), low limits of detection (0.004–0.008 μg/L) and precision (3.93–5.27%) were obtained by using TC-HS-LPME/GC-FID. Relative recoveries for real samples were more than 83%.     

Determination of trace volatile fatty acids in ambient air by capillary gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in SIM mode

A simple, rapid and sensitive method was developed and validated for the analysis of C₂–C₅ volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in ambient air. This method involves preconcentration of VFAs with a sodium carbonate-impregnated silica gel tube, ultrasonic extraction with pure water, partition of VFAs to diethyl ether and determination using gas chromatography with a mass selective detector in the selected ion monitoring mode. A water-resistant free fatty acid phase capillary column was used to directly separate C₂–C₅ VFAs without the time-consuming derivatisation process. The limits of detection ranged from 0.001 to 0.003 µg m^?3 and the limits of quantification ranged from 0.003 to 0.010 µg m^?3. The validated method was successfully applied to the analysis trace-level VFAs in ambient air and in air samples from a landfill with perceived odour pollution.