title: A comparison of the performance of two chromatographic and three extraction techniques for the analysis of PAHS in sources of drinking water.
abstract: The aim of this work is to establish a sensitive and reliable method for the analysis of the 16 priority Environmental Protection Agency-defined polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in water samples. Gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fluorescence detection (FLD)-UV techniques are optimized to obtain an adequate resolution of all compounds. Validation of the methods is carried out, and a good performance is observed for both techniques. The HPLC-FLD-UV technique is somewhat more sensitive than the GC-MS technique for the determination of PAHs; thus, the HPLC-FLD-UV method is used to follow up both the solid-phase extraction (SPE) analysis using cartridges and discs and the liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), which are also evaluated for the extraction of the PAHs. Low recoveries between 43% and 79% are obtained using SPE cartridges, and higher values are obtained using SPE discs (56-96%) and LLE (60-105%). Better results are obtained using the LLE technique, and, thus, analysis of real water samples is carried out using this technique. LODs between 0.6 and 21 ng/L and relative standard deviations less than 15% are obtained using a spiked water sample analyzed using the full LLE HPLC-FLD-UV method.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Analítica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey.
authors.forename: Nora E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Díaz-Moroles
authors.forename: Humberto J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Garza-Ulloa
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Castro-Ríos
authors.forename: Elsa G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Ramirez-Villarreal
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barbarín-Castillo
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de la Luz Salazar-Cavazos
authors.forename: Noemí
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Waksman-de Torres
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012015:Reference Standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet / Q000379:methods*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011083:Polycyclic Compounds