High-performance liquid chromatography with conductimetric detection of perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonates.
A rapid and simple method for separating and determining various environmentally harmful perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonates was successfully developed using high- performance liquid chromatography with conductimetric detection, for product and waste management of these compounds at manufacturing and processing sites. Compounds having C(3)-C(8) perfluoroalkyl groups were separated using a Tosoh TSKgel Super-ODS column and a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of methanol and aqueous NaH(2)PO(4) at several mixing ratios. The best detection limits for the compounds ranged from 0.12 to 0.66 mg l(-1) (ppm), and linear calibration graphs were obtained up to 87-109 mg l(-1). The combination of this method with concentration of the sample by solid-phase extraction with cartridges based on styrene-divinylbenzene-copolymer enabled the determination of approximately 50 microg l(-1) (ppb) for compounds with C(4)-C(8) perfluoroalkyl groups. This method was successfully used to monitor the artificial decomposition of the perfluorocarboxylic acid n-C(4)F(9)COOH induced by a photocatalyst.
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, AIST Tsukuba West, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan. h-hori@aist.go.jp
Hisao
H
Hori
Etsuko
E
Hayakawa
Nobuyoshi
N
Yamashita
Sachi
S
Taniyasu
Fumiya
F
Nakata
Yoshimi
Y
Kobayashi
D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers / Q000032:analysis*; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005465:Fluorocarbon Polymers; D005466:Fluorocarbons; D011137:Polystyrenes; C040402:perfluorosulfonic acid