Extraction, thermal cleanup, and GC/MS quantification with disposable solid extractants: application to hydrophobic analytes in aqueous surfactant solutions.
Fragranced consumer products are generally formulated together with surfactants. In application, these products are often highly diluted with water. Analyzing trace amounts of fragrance ingredients in such mixtures is challenging and usually requires either time-consuming sample cleanup or extensive cleaning of the trapping device to avoid memory effect and cross-contamination between samples. To overcome these limitations, a new disposable extraction device has been developed to be used in combination with a thermodesorption-GC-MS unit. Made of PDMS foam cylinders, it efficiently extracts trace amounts of hydrophobic compounds from complex aqueous solutions and provides an online sample cleanup, thanks to the controlled desorption temperature, which allows retaining the low volatile constituents of the matrix within the absorptive foam. Combined with a stable isotope dilution assay, accurate quantifications of Cetalox(®), Muscenone™, Helvetolide(®), Polysantol(®), Dartanol, and Myrrhone(®) from aqueous solution containing surfactant and from water from the aeration tank of a sewage plant were successfully conducted. LOQ varied between 1 and 25 ppb (20% confidence interval, α = 0.1).
Analytical Innovation, Firmenich SA, Geneva, Switzerland. frederic.begnaud@firmenich.com
Frédéric
F
Begnaud
Christian
C
Debonneville
Alain
A
Chaintreau
D000327:Adsorption; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D010476:Perfume / Q000737:chemistry*; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000737:chemistry*
D010476:Perfume; D013501:Surface-Active Agents