Analysis of aldehydes in water by solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization

The solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique with on-fiber derivatization was evaluated for the analysis of aldehydes in water. The poly(dimethylsiloxane)/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) fiber was used and O-2,3,4,5,6-(pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA) were first loaded onto the fiber. The aldehydes in water sample were agitated into headspace and extracted by SPME with on-fiber derivatization. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used for the analysis of oximes formed and the adsorption-time profiles were examined. The precision, recovery and method detection limits (MDLs) were evaluated with spiked bidistilled water, chlorinated tap water as well as well water. The relative standard deviations from different spiked water sample were all less than 10% and the recoveries were 100 +/- 15%. With 2 ml of water sample, MDLs were in the range of 0.12-0.34 microg/l. Compared with other techniques, the study shown here provided a simple, fast and reliable method for the analysis of aldehydes in water.     

Determination of acetone in seawater using derivatization solid-phase microextraction

Acetone plays an important role in the chemistry of both the atmosphere and the ocean, due to its potential effect on the tropospheric HO_x (= HO + HO₂) budget, as well as its environmental and health effects. We discuss the development of a mobile, sensitive, selective, economical and facile method for the determination of acetone in seawater. The method consists of derivatizing acetone to its pentafluorobenzyl oxime using 1,2,3,4,5-pentafluorobenzylhydroxylamine (PFBHA), followed by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). A detection limit of 3.0 nM was achieved. The buffering capacity of seawater imposes challenges in using the method’s optimum pH (3.7) on seawater samples, requiring calibration standards to be made in buffered salt water and the acidification of seawater samples and standards prior to extraction. We employed the technique for analysis of selected surface seawater samples taken on the Nordic seas during the ARK-XX/1 cruise (R.V. Polarstern). An upper limit of 5.5–9.6 nM was observed for acetone in these waters, the first acetone measurements reported for far North Atlantic and Arctic waters. Simplified schematic of transformations of organic compounds at the atmosphere–ocean interface     

自动顶空衍生化固相微萃取法测定啤酒中的老化醛类化合物

采用邻-五氟苯甲基羟胺(PFBOA)衍生,顶空固相微萃取(HS-SPME)和气相色谱质谱(GC-MS)测定啤酒中2-甲基丁醛、3-甲基丁醛、反-2-壬烯醛等8种老化醛类化合物.顶空固相微萃取采用65 μm PDMS/DVB纤维,先用纤维吸附PFBOA溶液,再将纤维插入装有2 mL啤酒的20 mL顶空进样瓶的顶空中在60 ℃萃取60 min,衍生和萃取都在自动进样器中进行.采用GC-MS检测,特征离子为m/z 181.8种羰基化合物在0.2～500 μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数在0.990以上.检测样品的相对标准偏差为1.0%～15.7%,回收率为88%～103%.同时研究并讨论了萃取纤维、萃取温度、萃取时间、样品体积等因素对醛类萃取量的影响.该方法可用于啤酒保鲜期研究和产品质量控制.     

Determination of some aldehydes by using solid-phase microextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection

A new approach has been developed for the extraction and determination of aldehydes such as veratraldehyde, m-nitrobenzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and p-chlorobenzaldehyde by using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC/UV). The method involves adsorption of the aldehydes on polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene-coated fiber, followed by desorption in the desorption chamber of the SPME-HPLC interface, using acetonitrile-water (70 + 30) as the mobile phase; UV detection was at 254 nm. A good separation of 5 aldehydes was obtained on a C18 column. The detection limits of veratraldehyde, m-nitrobenzaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and p-chlorobenzaldehyde are 25, 41, 13, 12, and 11 pg/mL, respectively, which are about 100 times better than the detection limits for other SPME methods using gas chromatography. The proposed method was validated by determining benzaldehyde in bitter almonds and cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon bark. The recoveries of the 5 analytes were determined by analysis of spiked drinking water.     

Determination of ethylene oxide by solid-phase microextraction device with on-fiber derivatization

The solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device was used as a time-weighted average (TWA) sampler for ethylene oxide. Carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS) fiber was used and hydrogen bromide (HBr) was loaded onto the fiber. The SPME fiber assembly was then inserted into PTFE tubing to improve the wearer's acceptance as a diffusive sampler. Known concentrations of ethylene oxide around the threshold limit values (TLVs)/time-weighted average and specific relative humidities (RHs) were generated by syringe pumps in a dynamic generation system. Ethylene oxide in gas bags were also generated. An exposure chamber was designed to allow measurement of face velocities, temperatures, exposing vapor concentrations, and RHs. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for sample analysis. The appropriate adsorption time for SPME coating HBr was found to be 30 s and the desorption time for 2-bromothanol formed after sampling was determined to be 5 min. The experimental sampling constant of the sampler was found to be (2.96 +/- 0.09) x 10(-2) cm3/min, while face velocity (0-0.25 m/s) as well as RHs (10-80%) were not expected to have effects on the sampler.     

Full automatic determination of chlorophenols in water using solid-phase microextraction/on-fiber derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A fully automated combination of solid-phase microextraction and on-fiber derivatization coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed to determine 17 chlorophenols in aqueous samples. Optimal parameters for the automated process, such as fiber coating (polyacrylate), derivatization reagent (N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide), extraction time (60 min), derivatization time (5 min), incubation temperature (35°C), sample pH (3), and ionic strength (300 g L(-1) of NaCl), as well as desorption time (5 min) and desorption temperature (270°C) were established. The whole procedure took only 90 min and was performed automatically. The shortcomings of silylation derivatives, like incompleteness and instability, were overcome by using solid-phase microextraction on-fiber silylation in this study. The results from both pure water and river water samples showed that the method had a good linearity (r(2) = 0.9993-1.0000), ranging from 0.01 to 100 μg L(-1). The related standard deviations were between 3.6 and 10.0%. The limits of detections and qualifications ranged from 0.03 to 3.11 ng L(-1) and 0.09 to 10.4 ng L(-1) for the CPs, respectively. The proposed method is superior to traditional solid phase extraction procedure.     

Headspace solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization for the determination of aldehydes in algae by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A simple, fast, sensitive and cost-effective method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) with on-fiber derivatization coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of six typical aldehydes, 2E-hexenal, heptanal, 2E-heptenal, 2E,4E-heptadienal, 2E-decenal and 2E,4E-decadienal in laboratory algae cultures. As derivatization reagent, O-2,3,4,5,6-(pentafluorobenzyl) hydroxylamine hydrochloride, was loaded onto the poly(dimethylsiloxane)/divinylbenzene fiber for aldehydes on-fiber derivatization prior to HS-SPME. Various influence factors of extraction efficiency were systematically investigated. Under optimized extraction conditions, excellent method performances for all the six aldehydes were attained, such as satisfactory extraction recoveries ranging from 67.1 to 117%, with the precision (relative standard deviation) within 5.3-11.1%, and low detection limits in the range of 0.026-0.044 μg/L. The validated method was successfully applied for the analysis of the aldehydes in two diatoms (Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros muelleri), two pyrrophytas (Prorocentrum micans and Scrippsiella trochoidea) and Calanus sinicus eggs (feeding on the two diatoms above).     

Determination of water pollutants by direct-immersion solid-phase microextraction using polymeric ionic liquid coatings

The determination of a group of eighteen pollutants in waters, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and substituted phenols, is conducted in direct-immersion solid-phase microextraction (SPME) using the polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) poly(1-vinyl-3-hexadecylimidazolium) bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide as a novel coating material. The performance of the PIL fiber coating in the developed IL-SPME-gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry (MS) method is characterized by average relative recoveries of 92.5% for deionized waters and 90.8% for well waters, average precision values (as relative standard deviations, RSD%) of 11% for deionized waters and 12% for well waters, using a spiked level of 5 ng mL⁻¹. The detection limits oscillate from 0.005 ng mL⁻¹ for fluoranthene to 4.4 ng mL⁻¹ for 4-chloro-3-methylphenol, when using an extraction time of 60 min with 20 mL of aqueous sample. The extraction capabilities of the PIL fiber have been compared with the commercial SPME coatings: polydimethylsyloxane (PDMS) 30 μm, PDMS 100 μm and polyacrylate (PA) 85 μm. The PIL fiber is superior to the PDMS 30 μm for all analytes studied. A qualitative study was also carried out to compare among the nature of the coating materials by normalizing the coating thickness. The PIL material was shown to be more efficient than the PDMS material for all analytes studied. The PIL coating was also adequate for nonpolar analytes whereas the PA material was more sensitive for polar compounds.     

Determination of phthalates in water samples using polyaniline-based solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography

A simple solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device, coupled with gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), was developed to detect trace levels of phthalates in environmental water samples. Polyaniline (PANI) was chosen as the sorbent for the SPME device and was electrochemically deposited on a stainless steel wire to achieve high thermal and mechanical stability. The porous structure of the PANI film, characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), suggested large extraction capability. Key parameters were optimized and five phthalates were selected to evaluate the SPME-GC procedures. The method was also applied to the analysis of lake and river water samples. Control experiments were carried out using commercial polyacrylate (PA) fiber. The new PANI-SPME-GC method offers high accuracy, precision and sensitivity and low detection limits. Thus, the method developed could be used as a new way to monitor the trace levels of phthalates in water medium. A possible extraction mechanism was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).     

Determination of bisphenol A in water by isotope dilution headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry without derivatization

The original solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers use an epoxy resin adhesive that releases bisphenol A (BPA) during thermal desorption of the fiber. This adversely affects the method detection limit and accuracy when these products are used for the determination of BPA. In this work, 5 new metal alloy SPME fibers that do not use epoxy resins were compared for the extraction of BPA in water. The performance of the optimum SPME fiber with 60 microm carbowax-polyethylene glycol coating for the headspace SPME of BPA in water was investigated systematically under different extraction conditions. Salt was found to increase the partitioning of BPA from water into the headspace until saturation was reached. Partitioning of BPA from water into the headspace also increased at higher extraction temperatures, as did longer extraction times. However, extraction of BPA from water onto the SPME fiber was not improved for solutions adjusted to pH 2 compared to the unadjusted neutral solutions. The new BPA method showed good linearity over the concentration range of 2.5 to 40 microg/L [correlation coefficient (r2) = 0.995] .The method detection limit for BPA was 0.5 microg/L, while the instrument detection limit was as low as 0.05 microg/L. Good repeatability was observed for BPA at levels of 5 and 20 microg/L with relative standard deviation values < 10%. The automated headspace SPME method developed in this work was used to investigate migration of BPA from polycarbonate bottles into water, and levels of BPA in water ranged from 1.7 to 4.1 microg/L.     

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.     

Determination of aliphatic amines using N-succinimidyl benzoate as a new derivatization reagent in gas chromatography combined with solid-phase microextraction

A simple, selective and sensitive approach was developed for the quantitation of aliphatic amines in lake water applying a new reagent (N-succinimidyl benzoate, SIBA), synthesized in the laboratory of the authors. Derivatization of the n-C1-C6 aliphatic monoamines and dimethylamine in aqueous solution with SIBA was followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Derivatives were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and determined by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection. Both derivatization and SPME conditions have been optimized. Derivatizations were performed in borate buffer (pH 8.8), at 60 degrees C for 22 min. SPME was carried out from saturated sodium chloride solution, at 80 degrees C for 60 min, desorption at 250 degrees C for 2 min. Detection limit of derivatized amines proved to be 0.13-7.2 nmol/l, while recovery of amines from lake water samples, in the concentration range of 100-200 microg/l, varied from 94.1 to 102.7%.     

Analysis of odorous trichlorobromophenols in water by in-sample derivatization/solid-phase microextraction GC/MS

The simultaneous determination of several odorous trichlorobromophenols in water has been carried out by an in-sample derivatization headspace solid-phase microextraction method (HS-SPME).The analytical procedure involved their derivatization to methyl ethers with dimethyl sulfate/NaOH and further HS-SPME and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) determination. Parameters affecting both the derivatization efficiency and headspace SPME procedures, such as the selection of the SPME fiber coating, derivatization–extraction time and temperature, were studied. The commercially available polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) 100 μm and Carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (CAR-PDMS-DVB) fibers appeared to be the most suitable for the simultaneous determination of these compounds. The precision of the HS-SPME/GC/MS method gave good relative standard deviations (RSDs) run-to-run between 9% and 19% for most of them, except for 2,5-diCl-6-Br-phenol, 2,6-diCl-3-Br-phenol and-2,3,6-triBr-phenol (22%, 25% and 23%, respectively). The method was linear over two orders of magnitude, and detection limits were compound dependent but ranged from 0.22 ng/l to 0.95 ng/l. The results obtained for water samples using the proposed SPME procedure were compared with those found with the EPA 625 method, and good agreement was achieved. Therefore, the in-sample derivatization HS-SPME/GC/MS procedure here proposed is a suitable method for the simultaneous determination of odorous trichlorobromophenols in water.     

Determination of nitrate esters in water samples Comparison of efficiency of solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction

This paper deals with comparison of efficiency of extraction techniques (solid-phase extraction, SPE and solid-phase microextraction, SPME) used for extraction of nitrate esters (ethyleneglycoldinitrate, EGDN and nitroglycerin, NG), representing the first step of the method of quantitative determination of trace concentrations of nitrate esters in water samples. EGDN and NG are subsequently determined by means of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). Optimization of SPE and SPME conditions was carried out using model water samples. Seven SPE cartridges were tested and the conditions were optimized (type of sorbent, type and volume of solvent to be used as eluent). For both nitrate esters the limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) obtained using SPE/HPLC-UV were 0.23 microg mL(-1) and 0.70 microg mL(-1), respectively. Optimization of SPME conditions: type of SPME fibre (four fibres were tested), type and time of sorption/desorption, temperature of sorption. PDMS/DVB (polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene) fibre coating proved to be suitable for extraction of EGDN and NG. For this fibre the LOD and the LOQ for both nitrate esters were 0.16 microg mL(-1) and 0.50 microg mL(-1), respectively. Optimized methods SPE/HPLC-UV and SPME/HPLC-UV were then used for quantitative determination of nitrate esters content in real water samples from the production of EGDN and NG.     

An evaluation of solid-phase microextraction for analysis of volatile organic compounds in drinking water

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been applied to the quantitative analysis of 60 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. Equilibration curves for the partitioning of the VOCs between the fiber coating and fortified water obtained at 20, 50, and 80 °C are found between the theoretical curves for completely agitated and non-agitated samples. Two important factors for the amount adsorbed by the SPME fiber coating are the extraction time and the fiber coating/water distribution coefficient, K_FW . Both depend on the sample temperature, but in a counteracting manner: Increasing the temperature shortened the equilibration times, especially for the heavier VOCs, but also lead to lower K_FW values, and consequently a lower sensitivity of the method. K_FW values are determined for 33 of the VOCs at 40, 60, and 80°C and the heats of adsorption,–ΔH, are calculated. The nature of the adsorption is found to be exothermic which explains the decreasing sensitivity of the method with increasing temperature. Detection limits were typically from 20 ng/l to 200 ng/l, except for the very light VOCs with which detection difficulties were encountered. For all of the VOCs the linear range extended from the lowest concentration at which they were actually detected to at least 5 mg/l. The precision, 3% average standard deviation when an internal standard was used, was satisfactory for most quantitative routine analysis. SPME was also applied to head-space (HS) analysis of drinking water through the coupled equilibrium between water/head-space/fiber coating. HS-SPME is demonstrated to have shorter equilibration times than SPME directly from the water and equal sensitivities, except for the very light VOCs. Water samples from a drinking water plant contaminated in the low μg/l range with 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene were analyzed. There seems to be a reasonable agreement between results obtained by SPME and purge & trap. It is concluded that SPME has a great potential for drinking water analysis.     

Determination of organochlorine pesticides in ground water samples using solid-phase microextraction by gas chromatography-electron capture detection

A direct immersion solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detection (SPME-GC-ECD) method was optimized and validated for the quantitative determination of 18 organochlorine pesticides in ground water. Ionic strength, stirring speed, adsorption and desorption time and pH were some of the parameters investigated in order to select the optimum conditions for SPME with a 50/30 DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber coating. The SPME-GC/ECD method showed good linear response below 10 ng L⁻¹ with R² values in the range of 0.9950–0.9997. The repeatability of the measurements were lower than 10%. Values of relative recoveries located within the acceptable range (80–120%). Limits of quantification (LOQ) from 4.5 × 10⁻³ to 1.5 ng L⁻¹ were obtained. On average 8 organochlorines were found per sample, even so all the 18 organochlorines were quantified among them. Substances such as endrin ketone, γ-BHC and β-BHC were the pesticides determined in larger concentration (0.06–305 ng L⁻¹), while methoxychlor and aldrin in smaller amounts (0.151–1.55 ng L⁻¹). Measured levels of organochlorine pesticides were above the limits established by Brazilian regulations.     

Determination of chlorophenols in water samples using simultaneous dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and derivatization followed by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection

Simultaneous dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and derivatization combined with gas chromatography-electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) was used to determine chlorophenols (CPs) in water sample. In this derivatization/extraction method, 500 microL acetone (disperser solvent) containing 10.0 microL chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 50 microL acetic anhydride (derivatization reagent) was rapidly injected by syringe in 5.00 mL aqueous sample containing CPs (analytes) and K(2)CO(3) (0.5%, w/v). Within a few seconds the analytes derivatized and extracted at the same time. After centrifugation, 0.50 microL of sedimented phase containing enriched analytes was determined by GC-ECD. Some effective parameters on derivatization and extraction, such as extraction and disperser solvent type and their volume, amount of derivatization reagent, derivatization and extraction time, salt addition and amount of K(2)CO(3) were studied and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors and recoveries are in the range of 287-906 and 28.7-90.6%, respectively. The calibration graphs are linear in the range of 0.02-400 microg L(-1) and limit of detections (LODs) are in the range of 0.010-2.0 microg L(-1). The relative standard deviations (RSDs, for 200 microg L(-1) of MCPs, 100 microg L(-1) of DCPs, 4.00 microg L(-1) of TCPs, 2.00 microg L(-1) of TeCPs and PCP in water) with and without using internal standard are in the range of 0.6-4.7% (n=7) and 1.7-7.1% (n=7), respectively. The relative recoveries of well, tap and river water samples which have been spiked with different levels of CPs are 91.6-104.7, 80.8-117.9 and 83.3-101.3%, respectively. The obtained results show that simultaneous DLLME and derivatization combined with GC-ECD is a fast simple method for the determination of CPs in water samples.     

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

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

Determination of fuel dialkyl ethers and BTEX in water using headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection

A simple procedure for the determination of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), ethyl butyl ether (EBE), tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME), benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in water using headspace (HS) solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was developed. The analysis was carried out by gas chromatography (GC) equipped with flame ionization detector (FID) and 100% dimethylpolysiloxane fused capillary column. A 2 Plackett-Burman design for screening and a central composite design (CCD) for optimizing the significant variables were applied. Fiber type, extraction temperature, sodium chloride concentration, and headspace volume were the significant variables. A 65 microm poly(dimethylsiloxane)-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) SPME fiber, 10 degrees C, 300 g/l, and 20 ml of headspace (in 40 ml vial) were respectively chosen for the best extraction response. An extraction time of 10 min was enough to extract the ethers and BTEX. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for the procedure varied from 2.6 (benzene) to 8.5% (ethylbenzene). The method detection limits (MDLs) found were from 0.02 (toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) to 1.1 microg/l (MTBE). The optimized method was applied to the analysis of the rivers, marinas and fishing harbors surface waters from Gipuzkoa (North Spain). Three sampling were done in 1 year from June 2002 to June 2003. Toluene was the most detected analyte (in 90% of the samples analyzed), with an average concentration of 0.56 microg/l. MTBE was the only dialkyl ether detected (in 15% of the samples) showing two high levels over 400 microg/l that were related to accidental fuel spill.     

Determination of aliphatic amines in water by liquid chromatography using solid-phase extraction cartridges for preconcentration and derivatization.

Bond Elut C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges were used for preconcentration and pre-column derivatization with 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride (DNB) of aliphatic amines in water. Conditions for analyte preconcentration and derivatization (including the volume of sample, concentration of reagent, time of reaction and pH) were investigated, using ethylamine, isopropylamine and dimethylamine as model compounds. On the basis of these studies, a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of aliphatic amines in water is presented. The analytes are retained and purified on the cartridges and then derivatized and desorbed by drawing in succession the DNB solution and acetonitrile. The collected extracts are subsequently chromatographed in a Hypersil ODS C18 column using acetonitrile-water for elution. The DNB derivatives are monitored at 230 nm. The method provides satisfactory reproducibility and linearity within the 0.050-1.0 mg l(-1) concentration interval, the limits of detection being 2-5 microg l(-1). Analyte recoveries were in the 70-102% range, whereas the conversion yields compared with those observed for the solution derivatization were in the 79-107% range. The total analysis time (sample treatment plus chromatography) was about 15 min. The method was applied to the determination of ethylamine, isopropylamine and dimethylamine in tap and river waters.