Chromatographic properties of the ion-exclusion column IonPac ICE-AS6 and its application in environmental analysis, Part II: application in environmental analysis
Biological processes, geochemical reactions, anthropogenic emissions, and transformation reactions of xenobiotics are responsible for the widespread occurrence of aliphatic carboxylic acids in the environment. To study the performance of the ion-exclusion chromatography column IonPac ICE-AS6 in the analysis of environmental and environmental-technical samples, organic acids are investigated in composting seepage, silage effluents, aqueous extracts of sewage sludge, molasses hydrolysate, and alkaline cellulose hydrolysates. With respect to the diverse sample matrix and composition, different chromatographic conditions are applied. It is possible to determine various volatile fatty acids, dicarboxylic acids, (poly)hydroxy acids, and keto acids as main and trace components in samples with very high and low dissolved organic carbon content. Low baseline noise allows the determination of malic and succinic acid in the concentration range of approximately 1 microM/L in the presence of higher concentrations of fully ionized compounds. The applicability of the column in environmental analysis may be limited by the poor retardation of strong organic acids, insufficient separation of some relevant substance combinations (i.e., citric and isocitric acid), and very strong hydrophobic interactions with straight-chain monocarboxylic acids containing four or more carbon atoms.
Fischer
K
GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute of Ecological Chemistry, Neuherberg, Germany. fischerk@uni-trier.de
Kotalik
J
Kettrup
A