Preconcentration and LC analysis of chlorophenols,using a styrene-divinyl-benzene copolymeric sorbent and photochemical reaction detection

Summary A specific HPLC method has been developed for the trace analysis of lower chlorinated aromatic compounds. The method consists of an on-line preconcentration and a post-column reaction step. On-line preconcentration of mono- and dichlorophenols from aqueous samples has been performed using PRP₁, a divinylbenzene-styrene copolymeric sorbent as packing material for both pre-and analytical column. Enrichment factors of over 300 were obtained compared to regular (100 l) loop injections, even for the highly polar monochlorophenols. After reversed-phase separation, post-column photochemical dechlorination is carried out directly in the eluent stream, using a photochemical reactor. Upon dechlorination, fluorescent products are formed, which can be detected selectively. The resulting fluorescence signal shows a linear response to the quantity of solute present over 2 to 3 orders of magnitude (correlation coefficients: 0.990–0.98). For the mono- and dichlorophenols, the detection limit of the photoconversion method is in the lower nanogram range. The method is especially suitable for the analysis of complex matrices such as effluent water samples or biological fluids containing traces of the polar chloroaromatic compounds together with large amounts of other constituents, which interfere when using more general methods of detection like UV absorption. The potential of this technique for automation has been demonstrated by using a microprocessor-controlled column switching unit.Presented at the 14th International Symposium on Chromatography London, September, 1982