title: Screening method for nitroaromatic compounds in water based on solid-phase microextraction and infrared spectroscopy.
abstract: A new method is described for determining nitroaromatic compounds in water that combines solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. In this method, the compounds are extracted from a 250-mL volume of water into a small square (3.2 cm x 3.2 cm x 61.2 microm thick) of silicone polycarbonate copolymer film (MEM-213). Five nitroaromatic compounds, including 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), were chosen to evaluate the SPME/IR procedure. Quantitation limits for the five test compounds range from 50 microg/L for TNT to 400 microg/L for nitrobenzene. Precision values, determined at aqueous concentrations of four times the quantitation limit, range from 4 to 7%, and linear dynamic ranges extend to the maximum limit of the IR instrumentation. The potential of this SPME/IR method for determining nitroaromatics in natural water samples was also investigated by extracting "real world" soil samples contaminated with TNT. Results obtained from the SPME/ IR determination of the diluted extracts were in reasonable agreement with those obtained from dichloromethane extraction followed by gas chromatographic analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks 58202, USA.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Tilotta
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000032:analysis*; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical