Reversed phase HPLC coupled on-line to GC by the vaporizer/precolumn solvent split/gas discharge interface; analysis of phthalates in water

Reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) was coupled on-line to gas chromatography (GC) via the vaporizer chamber/preco-lumn solvent split/gas discharge interface outlined recently. Water-containing eluents were driven into a vaporizer chamber at 300°C by the LC pump. The Vapors were removed through an early vapor exist by the carrier gas. Solvent/solute separation occurred in hte retaining precolumn. Special attention was paid to the parame-ters determining the losses of the most volatile compounds. The oven temperature during transfer was lowered close to the dew point of the eluent (the temperature at which recondensation occurs) in order to maximise the retention power of the retaining precolumn. The dew point depends on the transfer rate, the gas flow rate, and the gas inlet pressure. Sometimes even better retention of the vola-tiles was observed at temperatures below the dew point, i.e. despite partial reconsideration. The method was applied to the analysis of phthalates in drinking and surface waters. The detection limits, using MS, were 5–10 ng/l.