title: Application of a direct aqueous acetylation technique to the gas chromatographic quantitation of nitrophenols and 1-naphthol in environmental water samples.
abstract: An improved method for the determination of low levels of nitrophenols in aqueous samples has been developed. The method is based on the gas chromatographic analysis of phenols as acetate derivatives which have been prepared directly in water. Recoveries of 97% or greater were obtained from aqueous solutions containing nitrophenols in concentrations ranging from 25 to 100 microgram/l. Concentrations as low as 1 microgram/l were easily detected. Nitrophenols appear to exhibit some resistance to degradation by microorganisms indigenous to the Athabasca River. Water samples to which 139 microgram/l each of o- and p-nitrophenol were added did not show evidence of microbial metabolism over a two week interval. Under identical conditions 100 microgram/l of m-cresol was metabolized within a 3-day period.
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D009284:Naphthols / Q000032:analysis*; D009596:Nitrophenols / Q000032:analysis*; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D009284:Naphthols; D009596:Nitrophenols; D014867:Water