Determination of Sulfophenyl Carboxylic Acids in Agricultural Groundwater Samples by Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

Abstract

We have developed an analytical method to determine six sulfophenyl carboxylic acids (SPC) in agricultural groundwater samples. It involves a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure and subsequent separation and determination using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC–FD).The quantification limits ranged between 0.7 and 1.2 ng ml^?1. The proposed method was proved satisfactorily for the detection and determination of these compounds in groundwater samples during a study into the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) in an agricultural soil sampled from the irrigated plain to the west of Granada (Spain).