Trace enrichment and HPLC analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental samples,using solid phase extraction in connection with UV/VIS diode-array and fluorescence detection

Summary Both the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's) on tailor made HPLC phases, and their chromatographic enrichment and quantitative determination are of great interest. Because of the generally low concentrations of PAH's in the environment, and the low limiting values in German legislation for drinking water, methods for selective enrichment and sensitive detection are indispensable. On account of their relatively high amounts in soil, the determination of PAH's is valuable for the assessment of the potential danger to ground water by waste materials. These requirements can be fulfilled by used of solid phase extraction on enrichment columns, and fluorescence or UV/VIS diode array detection. For the detection of PAH's in the picogram range, the wavelengths for excitation and emission were time programmed over the chromatogram. With this feature, it is possible to detect all the individual compounds at the highest sensitivity, over the entire analysis.