Part-per-trillion determination of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and related organic contaminants in river water by solid-phase extraction followed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
An analytical procedure based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) for the simultaneous determination of 97 organic contaminants at trace concentration in river water is presented. The target analytes included 13 pharmaceuticals, 18 plasticizers, 8 personal care products, 9 acid herbicides, 8 triazines, 10 organophosphorous compounds, 5 phenylureas, 12 organochlorine biocides, 9 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 5 benzothiazoles and benzotriazoles. The best resolution of the target analytes in the contour plots was obtained when a nonpolar stationary phase was used in the first dimension and polar one in the second. However, in the opposite configuration, polar-nonpolar, the retention time in the second dimension exhibited a strong correlation with the log Kow (p < 0.01), and it was proposed as an additional identification criteria. The developed methodology is based on a polymeric solid-phase extraction followed by in GC-port methylation and GC x GC/TOF-MS determination. Moreover, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.5 to 100 ng/L and from 2 to 185 ng/L, respectively. Repeatability was always lower than 20%. Finally, the developed method has been successfully applied to the determination of incurred target analytes in four river waters subjected to a different anthropogenic pressure.
Matamoros
Víctor
V
Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, Campus Montilivi, E-17071 Girona, Spain. victor.matamoros@udg.edu
Jover
Eric
E
Bayona
Josep M
JM
D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D010575:Pesticides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification
D010575:Pesticides; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical