| Abstract: | An evaluation of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) employing mobile phases compatible with direct coupling to inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is described for the selective and sensitive detection of organotin species. The findings of this study are compared with established methods, employing ion-exchange chromatography. In order to achieve optimum performance, both the HPLC and ICP-MS were optimized for speciation work. The results from studies using various mobile phases for the separation of a range of tin compounds (inorganic tin, tributyltin, dibutyltin and monobutyltin) are discussed both in terms of resolution and compatibility with ICP-MS instrumentation. Tropolone, a commonly used complexing agent for organotin species, is also discussed with reference to the chromatographic separation of tin species. Finally, the role of isotope dilution analysis in conjunction with HPLC-ICP-MS for organotin speciation is described with respect to the European Community Standards, Measurements and Testing (BCR) certified material programme. |
