Determination of fenpyroximate in apples by supercritical fluid extraction and packed capillary liquid chromatography with UV detection

A method using off-line supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and micro liquid chromatography (μLC) with UV detection at 260 nm, was developed for selective determination of fenpyroximate in apple samples. The packed capillary liquid chromatography method utilises 20 μl injection volumes with on-column focusing. A 350×0.32 mm capillary column packed with Kromasil 100-C₁₈ of 5 μm particle size was used with a mobile phase of acetonitrile–10 mM ammonium acetate (85:15, v/v) at a flow of 5 μl/min. A two-step SFE procedure was used to extract fenpyroximate selectively in 2 g apple samples, with Hydromatrix (HMX) added as a water absorbent at a 1:1 (w:w) ratio. Fenpyroximate was extracted at 200 bar and 90°C for 15 min using carbon dioxide at a flow of 2 ml/min, and solvent trapping collection in 10 ml acetonitrile. The volume of the acetonitrile extract was reduced by evaporation and water was added to a final composition of acetonitrile–water (40:60, v/v). The resulting 2.0 ml solution was filtered using a 0.45 μm poly(vinylidene difluoride) syringe filter before μLC analysis. Validation of the method was accomplished with apple samples spiked with fenpyroximate, covering the range of 0.1 to 1.0 μg/kg. The within-day and between-day repeatabilities were in the range 4–18% relative standard deviation. Accuracy, measured as recovery, was found to be approximately 60%. Apple samples from a field treated with fenpyroximate were analysed. None of the samples contained fenpyroximate above the quantification level.     

Automated at-line solid-phase extraction-gas chromatographic analysis of micropollutants in water using the PrepStation

A fully automated at-line solid-phase extraction-gas chromatography procedure has been developed for the analysis of aqueous samples using the PrepStation. The sample extract is transferred from the sample preparation module to the gas chromatograph via an autosampler vial. With flame-ionization detection, limits of determination (S/N=10) of 0.05–0.13 μg/l were obtained for the analysis of HPLC-grade water when modifying the PrepStation by: (i) increasing the sample volume to 50 ml, (ii) increasing the injection volume up to 50 μl, and (iii) decreasing the desorption volume to 300 μl. The HP autosampler had to be modified to enable the automated “at-once” on-column injection of up to 50 μl of sample extract. The amount of packing material in the original cartridge had to be reduced to effect the decrease of the desorption volume. The total set-up did not require any further optimization after having set up the method once. The analytical characteristics of the organonitrogen and organophosphorus test analytes, i.e. recoveries (typically 75–105%), repeatability (2–8%) and linearity (0.09–3.0 μg/l) were satisfactory. The potential of the system was demonstrated by determining triazines and organophosphorus pesticides in river Rhine water at the 0.6 μg/l level using flame-ionization and mass-selective detection. No practical problems were observed during the analysis of more than 100 river water samples.     

Sensitive and selective ion chromatographic method for the determination of trace beryllium in water samples

A selective and sensitive ion chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of beryllium in a number of water samples at low-μg/l concentrations. The separation was performed on a 250×4.0 mm I.D. iminodiacetic acid functionalised silica gel column. Chromatographed Be(II) was detected using visible detection at 590 nm following post-column reaction with chrome azurol S (CAS). The optimum separation and derivatisation conditions were studied in detail. The optimum eluent conditions were found to be 0.4 M KNO₃, adjusted to pH 2.5 using HNO₃, with optimum post-column detection being achieved using a solution containing 0.26 mM CAS, 2% Triton X-100, 50 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid, pH 6.0. Under the above conditions, the concentration detection limit for Be(II) was found to be 3 μg/l in a standard solution and 4 μg/l in a typical tap water sample, using a 250 μl injection. The method was linear over the investigated range of 10 μg/l to 10 mg/l and highly reproducible. The method was successfully applied to a number of water samples of varying matrix complexity, including simulated seawater, and also to a natural freshwater certified reference material NIST 1640.     

Evaluation of ammonia as diluent for serum sample preparation and determination of selenium by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A method for the determination of total selenium in serum samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was evaluated. The method involved direct introduction of 1:5 diluted serum samples (1% v/v NH₄OH+0.05% w/v Triton X-100^®) into transversely heated graphite tubes, and the use of 10 μg Pd+3 μg Mg(NO₃)₂ as chemical modifier. Optimization of the modifier mass and the atomization temperature was conducted by simultaneously varying such parameters and evaluating both the integrated absorbance and the peak height/peak area ratio. The latter allowed the selection of compromise conditions rendering good sensitivity and adequate analyte peak profiles. A characteristic mass of 49 pg and a detection limit (3s) of 6 μg 1⁻¹ Se, corresponding to 30 μg l⁻¹ Se in the serum sample, were obtained. The analyte addition technique was used for calibration. The accuracy was assessed by the determination of total selenium in Seronorm™ Trace Elements Serum Batch 116 (Nycomed Pharma AS). The method was applied for the determination of total selenium in ten serum samples taken from individuals with no known physical affection. The selenium concentration ranged between 79 and 147 μg l⁻¹, with a mean value of 114±22 μg l⁻¹.     

Integrated system for on-line gas and liquid chromatography with a single mass spectrometric detector for the automated analysis of environmental samples

An integrated system has been developed which combines liquid (LC) and gas (GC) chromatographic separation with a single mass spectrometer (MS). On-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) of 10–200 ml aqueous samples on a short (10 × 2.0 mm I.D.) precolumn packed with a styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer is used for analyte enrichment. The trace-enrichment procedure was automated by means of a PROSPEKT cartridge-exchange/solvent-selection/valve-switching unit. After sample loading, the precolumn is eluted on-line in two subsequent runs, first onto the GC-MS system and, next, onto the LC-MS system using a particle beam (PB) interface. Prior to entering the PB-MS, the LC eluent passes through the flow cell of a UV diode-array detector (DAD). Both GC-MS and LC-PB-MS generate classical electron ionisation (EI) and chemical ionisation (CI) spectra which are useful for the identification of low- and sub-μg/l concentrations of environmental pollutants covering a wide polarity and volatility range. The LC-DAD data provide additional means for quantitation and yield complementary spectral information. All three detection systems (GC-MS, LC-DAD, LC-PB-MS) and the trace-enrichment procedure are fully automated and controlled from the keyboard of the central computer. With such a ‘MULTIANALYSIS’ system GC-MS, LC-DAD and LC-MS data of the same sample can be obtained within 3 h. The system was optimised with nine chlorinated pesticides in drinking water as test mixture. With 100-ml samples detection limits in GC-MS were 0.0005−0.03 μg/l, and in LC-PB-MS 0.5–7 μg/l, both in the full-scan (EI) mode. Negative chemical ionisation (NCI) with methane as reagent gas improved the sensitivity of six halogenated compounds 3- to 30-fold and provided relevant information for structural elucidation of unknown compounds in real-world samples. LC-DAD detection limits varied from 0.01 to 0.05 μg/l. Relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) of retention times were less than 0.2% in all systems, R.S.D.s of peak areas were 5–15% for GC-MS and LC-PB-MS and less than 5% for LC-DAD. The ‘MULTIANALYSIS’ system was used to analyse surface water samples and river sediment extracts; several pollutants were detected and identified.     

超高效液相色谱-线性离子阱/静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱法快速检测化妆品中22种功效成分北大核心CSCD

建立了超高效液相色谱-线性离子阱/静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱法同时测定化妆品中的22种功效成分。样品采用甲醇超声提取,C18色谱柱(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.8μm)分离,以0.1%(v/v)甲酸水溶液和乙腈为流动相进行梯度洗脱。在正离子模式下,以保留时间和一级母离子精确质量数进行定量分析,以高能碰撞诱导解离获得的二级碎片离子精确质量数进行确证。结果表明,该方法线性关系良好,检出限(LOD)为0.003~2.01 mg/kg;定量限(LOQ)为0.02~4.36 mg/kg;水、乳、霜3种基质中3个添加水平的回收率范围为63.2%~125.1%,相对标准偏差为0.18%~10.9%。对标示含有烟酰胺、抗坏血酸葡糖苷、咖啡因、泛醇及甘草类(光果甘草根茎叶、甘草根、胀果甘草根)、麦冬根、人参根、黄芪根、虎杖根、苦参根、地黄根、积雪草、茶叶提取物的54批样品进行检测,标示单体功效成分的样品均有检出,标示不同植物提取物的46批样品中,24批检出植物提取物的功效成分。该方法简便快速、定性定量可靠,适用于化妆品中22种功效成分的定量测定。     

Indirect analysis of urea herbicides from environmental water using solid-phase microextraction

We described here a solid-phase microextraction procedure used to extract six urea pesticides — chlorsulfuron, fluometuron, isoproturon, linuron, metobromuron and monuron — from environmental samples. Two polydimethylsiloxanes and a polyacrylate fiber (PA) are compared. The extraction time, pH control, addition of NaCl to the water and the influence of organic matter such as humic acid on extraction efficiency were examined to achieve a sensitive method. Determination was carried out by gas chromatography with nitrogen–phosphorus detection. The proposed method requires the extraction of 2 ml of sample (pH 4, 14.3%, w/v, NaCl) for 60 min with the PA fiber. The limits of detection range from 0.04 for linuron to 0.1 μg/l for fluometuron and monuron and the relative standard deviations at the 1 μg/l level are between 15% and 9%. The apparent fiber–water distribution constants (K_fw) calculated in the proposed conditions were in the order of 10³. Phenylurea herbicides were indirectly determined in the form of their derived anilines and chlorsulfuron in the form of an aminotriazine as confirmed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Natural waters were utilized to validate the final procedure. However, a unequivocal identification in unknown environmental samples should be done by LC–MS. The presence of dissolved organic matter such as humic acid produces losses during the extraction step. Adding sodium chloride to the sample compensates for this effect.     

Speciation of halogenides and oxyhalogens by ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A speciation method utilizing ion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is described for simultaneous analysis of eight halogenides and oxyhalogens: chloride, chlorite, chlorate, perchlorate, bromide, bromate, iodide and iodate. The method was applied for the analysis of drinking water samples collected from water treatment plants in areas in Finland, which are known to have high bromine concentrations in ground water. Water samples collected before and after disinfection were analyzed to get information about potential species conversion as a result of purification. Chloride and chlorate were the chlorine species found in these water samples, and iodine existed as both iodate and iodide. In the case of bromine, species conversion had taken place, since total bromine concentrations were increased during disinfection but bromide concentrations were decreased. No bromate was observed in the samples. The detection limits for all the chlorine species studied were 500 μg/l, for bromine species studied 10 μg/l, for iodide 0.1 μg/l and for iodate 0.2 μg/l.     

Direct analysis of reference biofluids by coupled in situ electrodeposition-electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

The application of coupled in situ electrodeposition-electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ED-ETAAS) to the determination of Pb in biological standard reference materials is described. In situ electrodeposition at a cell voltage of 3.0 V from 25-μl samples onto electrodeposited Pd is used to quantitatively separate the analyte from blood and urine matrices. With subsequent withdrawal of spent electrolyte, this overcomes the atomisation problems inherent with high salt and organic contents. ED-ETAAS is applied with minimal sample pre-treatment (acidification). The electrolysis process aids decomposition of the organic matrix, and the release of trace elements. Evolution of H₂ at the cathode counters fouling of the Pd modifier surface. The palladium deposit is renewed in situ for each determination. For AMI certified lyophilised blood, diluted 1+3 with 0.1 M HCl (18.1 μg/l Pb), the R.S.D. was 3.0% (peak height; n=5) and the detection limit (3 σ_blank; n=5) was 1.5 μg/l. Results for certified blood samples were AMI 72.3±4.3 μg/l (certified 76.2±7.6 μg/l) and Seronorm 34.2±2.0 μg/l (36±4 μg/l). The result for NIST SRM 2670 normal urine acidified to 1% HNO₃ was 8.1±0.6 μg/l (recommended value 10 μg/l).     

Determination of 1 ng/l. Levels of mercury in water by electrothermal atomization atomic-absorption spectrometry after solvent extraction

Optimization of the furnace parameters for electrothermal atomization of mercury leads to a characteristic mass of 20 pg in aqueous solution and 30 pg in chloroform extracts (with Zeeman correction). With a single-step solvent extraction from 100 ml of sample, performed in the sampling vessel, and direct injection of 400 μl of the extract into the furnace, a characteristic concentration of 0.8 ng/l. is reached.     

分散固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定水产品中5种硝基咪唑类和6种苯二氮卓类药物北大核心CSCD

建立了分散固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时测定水产品中5种硝基咪唑类和6种苯二氮卓类药物残留的方法。样品用1%(v/v)氨水乙腈提取,提取液经十八烷基键合硅胶(C18)和N-丙基乙二胺(PSA)吸附剂净化,在45℃下用氮气吹至近干,用1 mL甲醇-水(1∶9,v/v)溶液复溶,过0.22μm尼龙-66滤膜后用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱测定。目标化合物采用Kinetex F5色谱柱(100 mm×3.0 mm,2.6μm)分离,以0.1%(v/v)甲酸水溶液和甲醇作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,在电喷雾离子源(ESI)、正离子扫描和多反应监测(MRM)模式下进行测定,基质匹配外标法定量。结果表明,5种硝基咪唑类和6种苯二氮卓类药物在8.5 min内完成色谱分离分析,目标物在0.5~20μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.995,检出限和定量限分别为0.2~0.5μg/kg和0.5~1.0μg/kg。以草鱼、对虾和大黄鱼为样品基质,在3个不同的添加水平下,5种硝基咪唑类和6种苯二氮卓类药物的平均回收率为73.2%~110.6%,相对标准偏差(RSD)小于15%。本研究建立的方法具有简单、快速、灵敏度高和成本低等优势,可用于水产品中5种硝基咪唑类和6种苯二氮卓类药物的快速检测。该方法的建立为我国水产品质量安全相关监管部门同时监控水产品中硝基咪唑类和苯二氮卓类药物残留提供了技术支持。     

Reverse flow injection spectrophotometric determination of iron(III) using norfloxacin

A reversed flow injection colorimetric procedure for determining iron(III) at the μg level was proposed. It is based on the reaction between iron(III) with norfloxacin (NRF) in 0.07 mol l⁻¹ ammonium sulfate solution, resulting in an intense yellow complex with a suitable absorption at 435 nm. Optimum conditions for determining iron(III) were investigated by univariate method. The method involved injection of a 150 μl of 0.04% w/v colorimetric reagent solution into a merged streams of sample and/or standard solution containing iron(III) and 0.07 mol l⁻¹ ammonium sulfate in sulfuric acid (pH 3.5) solution which was then passed through a single bead string reactor. Subsequently the absorbance as peak height was monitored at 435 nm. Beer's law obeyed over the range of 0.2–1.4 μg ml⁻¹ iron(III). The method has been applied to the determination of total iron in water samples digested with HNO₃–H₂O₂ (1:9 v/v). Detection limit (3σ) was 0.01 μg ml⁻¹ the sample through of 86 h⁻¹ and the coefficient of variation of 1.77% (n=12) for 1 μg ml⁻¹ Fe(III) were achieved with the recovery of the spiked Fe(III) of 92.6–99.8%.     

Critical study of fluorimetric determination of selenium in urine

Different steps for the fluorimetric determination of Se in urine have been investigated. A HNO₃---HClO₄ (4:1) mixture is useful for urine digestion, and reduction of Se(VI) to Se(IV) is effectively carried out with HCl (6M). Selenium(VI) present after the digestion process constitutes 14.5–36.6% of total Se. An optimum pH of 1.80±0.05 and the addition of 1 ml of 2,3-diaminonaphthalene (DAN) (0.1%, w/v) are established in the formation of Se—DAN complex. Heating to 60°C, a time of incubation of 15 min is recommended to assure the complete formation of Se—DAN complex. A volume of 5 ml of cyclohexane and vigorous shaking for 45 sec is necessary for the extraction process. With this optimized method, the detection limit of selenium was 0.82 μg/l., within-day precision for a 50.0 μg/l. standard solution and urine (27.3 μg/l.) were 2.4 and 2.7% and between-day for the urine was 3.9% (33.9 μg/l.). Analytical recovery of 0.5 ml of Se standard (250 μg/l.) added to 1 ml of urine was 99.9±2.9% (95.8–104.4, n = 12). Normal levels of selenium excretion in urine obtained from healthy people were 27.9±8.7 μg/day (13.2–44.1), not observing significant differences (P < 0.05) between sexes.     

高通量固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法测定人尿中8种环境酚类内分泌干扰物

建立了人尿中8种环境酚类化合物的96孔板固相萃取-超高效液相色谱-串联质谱(96-well SPE LC-MS/MS)检测方法,其中包括7种双酚类化合物和三氯生。尿样解冻到室温,经β-葡萄糖醛酸苷肽酶/芳基磺酸酯酶37 ℃过夜酶解。实验比较了3种96孔板固相萃取柱和不同淋洗条件对人尿样的净化效果和目标化合物的回收率。结果显示,采用Oasis HLB 96孔板(60 mg)对样品进行萃取和用30%(v/v)乙腈水溶液进行淋洗净化的纯化效果最好。纯化后目标物用甲醇溶液洗脱,经氮气吹干,用0.5 mL甲醇-水(1∶1, v/v)溶液定容,目标化合物用UPLC-MS/MS进行检测。比较了2种分析柱(C₁₈和T3分析柱)以及不同的有机流动相对分离样品中目标物的影响。结果显示,以BEH C₁₈(100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm)作为分析柱,乙腈/水作为流动相,以流速0.3 mL/min梯度洗脱时,目标物的分离效果最好。质谱条件选择串联质谱负离子电喷雾(ESI^-)多反应监测模式(MRM)进行检测。对样品的基质效应进行评估发现,双酚A、双酚F、双酚S、双酚B和双酚AF的绝对基质效应为3.47%~15.32%,不需要补偿措施;四氯双酚A、四溴双酚A和三氯生的绝对基质效应分别是49.58%(中等基质效应)、71.99%和86.93%(强基质效应),均需要补偿效应。因此,该方法采用了一一对应的同位素内标法抵消基质效应。用6份实际尿样基质评估相对基质效应,8种内标的峰面积的相对标准偏差为3.63%~9.06%,说明相对基质效应稳定。在优化条件下,双酚A和双酚AF在0.50~50 μg/L内、四氯双酚A和双酚S在0.05~50 μg/L内、双酚F和四溴双酚A在0.01~50 μg/L内、双酚B在1.00~50 μg/L内、三氯生在5.00~200 μg/L内线性关系良好,相关系数大于0.9995。方法检出限为0.002~1.09 μg/L,定量限为0.007~3.63 μg/L。3个加标水平的加标回收率为81.0%~101.9%,日内精密度为0.4%~19.4%,日间精密度为2.5%~17.8%。应用该方法对2019-2020年采集的北京地区64份尿样进行测定,结果发现8种目标分析物中,除双酚B和双酚AF未检出外,其余均有检出,其中双酚A和双酚S的检出率最高,分别为100%和96.9%。三氯生、四溴双酚A、四氯双酚A和双酚F的检出率分别为57.8%、46.9%、23.4%和21.9%。尿样中8种目标物含量的中位值以降序排列分别为1.44 μg/L(三氯生)、0.69 μg/L(双酚A)、0.086 μg/L(双酚S)、0.0032 μg/L(四溴双酚A)、0.00050 μg/L (四氯双酚A)、0.00 μg/L(双酚F、双酚B和双酚AF)。以上尿样检测结果显示,北京市居民存在普遍的环境酚类化合物暴露,值得关注。该方法操作简单,定量准确,样品需求量小,有机试剂消耗少,适合大批量样本的测定。     

Determination of As, Cd, Pb and Se in DORM-1 dogfish muscle reference material using alkaline solubilization and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with Ir+Rh as permanent modifiers or Pd+Mg in solution

In this work, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) was used to solubilize the DORM-1 dogfish muscle certified reference material as a model substance for the determination of As, Cd, Pb and Se by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS). The sample was mixed with a small amount of TMAH and heated to 60 °C for 10 min in a water bath. After dissolution, As and Se were determined using palladium and magnesium nitrates as a chemical modifier added in solution. For Cd and Pb, best results were obtained with a mixture of 250 μg of each of iridium and rhodium as permanent modifiers. In both cases, the calibration was performed with aqueous solutions in 0.2% v/v HNO₃. The temperature program for each analyte was optimized using pyrolysis and atomization curves established with the fish reference material. The detection limits in dry samples and the characteristic mass values were: Cd 0.005 μg g⁻¹ and 0.9 pg; Pb 0.04 μg g⁻¹ and 7.6 pg; As 0.4 μg g⁻¹ and 13 pg and Se 0.6 μg g⁻¹ and 20 pg, respectively. Results from the determination of these elements in the DORM-1 certified fish reference material were within the 95% confidence interval of the certified values.     

Determination of trace level perchlorate in drinking water and ground water by ion chromatography

Ammonium perchlorate, a key ingredient in solid rocket propellants, has recently been found in ground and surface waters in the USA in a number of states, including California, Nevada, Utah, and West Virginia. Perchlorate poses a health risk and preliminary data from the US Environmental Protection Agency reports that exposure to less than 4–18 μg/l provides adequate human health protection. An ion chromatographic method was developed for the determination of low μg/l levels of perchlorate in drinking and ground waters based on a Dionex IonPac AS11 column, a 100 mM hydroxide eluent, large loop (1000 μl) injection, and suppressed conductivity detection. The method is free of interferences from common anions, linear in the range of 2.5–100 μg/l, and quantitative recoveries were obtained for low μg/l levels of perchlorate in spiked drinking and ground water samples. The method detection limit of 0.3 μg/l permits quantification of perchlorate below the levels which ensure adequate health protection. A new polarizable anion analysis column, the IonPac AS16, and its potential applicability for this analysis is also discussed.     

Use of ion chromatography with post-column reaction for the measurement of tribromide to evaluate bromate levels in drinking water

A user-friendly ion chromatography method in conjunction with a post-column reaction (PCR) achieves practical quantitation limits for the oxyhalides bromate and chlorite of 0.05 μg/l and 0.10 μg/l, respectively. This level of measurement allows for the accurate assessment of bromate contributed to finished drinking waters that have been chlorinated using sodium hypochlorite. The target sensitivity of oxyhalides in the presence of other major ion species typically found in drinking water is achieved by PCR using excess bromide under acidic conditions to form a tribromide species that is detected by ultraviolet spectrometry. The method setup involves non-hazardous materials, as opposed to other recently developed methods that employ somewhat hazardous chemicals for generating the reaction necessary for the detection of bromate at sub-μg/l levels. No pretreatment of the samples is required, other than filtration and quenching of oxidant residual.     

Enrichment of benzo[a]pyrene in vegetable oils and determination by HPLC-FL

We have developed a simple method for the determination of the carcinogen Benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in vegetable oils. The method consists of extraction of the vegetable oil in acetonitrile, concentration to dryness in rotary evaporator and redissolution of the residue in hexane. The purification of the hexane extract was on Sep-Pack Silica Plus cartridges, and the determination of the BP in the isolated extract was by HPLC-FL. Detection and quantification limits were 0.23 and 0.32 μg kg⁻¹ of olive oil, respectively. Recovery (>93%) and RSD (<4%) were satisfactory. When applied to 18 oil samples, BP levels varied from not detected to 1.99 μg kg⁻¹.     

Silicon determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry after generation of volatile silicon tetrafluoride

A method for the determination of silicon by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) is described. The procedure is based on a discontinuous generation of volatile silicon tetrafluoride in concentrated sulphuric acid medium after injecting 125 μl of 0.1%, w/v sodium fluoride solution into 100 μl of the sample. The gaseous silicon tetrafluoride is fed directly into the ICP torch by a flow of 250 ml min⁻¹ Ar carrier gas. The calibration curve was linear up to at least 100 μg ml⁻¹ of Si(IV) and the absolute detection limit was 9.8 ng working with a solution volume of 100 μl. The relative standard deviation for six measurements of 10 μg ml⁻¹ of Si(IV) was 2.32%. The method was applied to the determination of silicon in water and iron ores.     

Automated on-line gel permeation chromatography-gas chromatography for the determination of organophosphorus pesticides in olive oil

An on-line combination of gel permeation chromatography and gas chromatography has been designed using either a laboratory-built or a commercially available LC-GC apparatus to determine organophosphorus pesticides in olive oil. Gel permeation chromatography was used for sample pretreatment, viz. to separate the low-molecular-mass pesticides from the higher-molecular-mass fat constituents of the oil. A mixture of n-decane and the azeotropic mixture of ethyl acetate and cyclohexane was found to give an adequate separation between the fat and the organophosphorus pesticides. The pesticide-containing fraction, monitored by a UV detector, was transferred on-line to the gas chromatograph using a loop-type interface. n-Decane (6%, v/v) was added to the eluent in order to widen the application range of the transfer technique towards more volatile pesticides. After solvent evaporation through the solvent vapour exit and subsequent GC separation, the compounds were selectively detected with a thermionic or a flame photometric detector. The set-up allowed the direct analysis of oil samples after dilution in the gel permeation chromatography eluent without further sample clean-up. Detection limits were about 5 and 10 μg/kg with the thermionic and the flame photometric detector, respectively, when using an injection volume of only 30 μl of the 20-fold diluted oil. The total procedure was linear in the 0.01–10 mg/kg range for both detectors. For twenty organophosphorus pesticides, the relative standard deviations were 3–13% at the 20–60 μg/kg level.