In situ derivatization/solid-phase microextraction: determination of polar aromatic amines

A solid-phase microextraction GC/MS method for the trace determination of a wide variety of polar aromatic amines in aqueous samples was developed. Prior to extraction the analytes were derivatized directly in the aqueous solution by diazotation and subsequent iodination in a one-pot reaction. The derivatives were extracted by direct-SPME using a PDMS/DVB fiber and analyzed by GC/MS in the full-scan mode. By diazotation/iodination, the polarity of the analytes was significantly decreased and as a consequence extraction yields were dramatically improved. The derivatization proved to be suitable for strongly deactivated aromatic amines and even the very polar diamino compounds can efficiently be enriched after derivatization. We investigated 18 anilines comprising a wide range of functional groups, which could be determined simultaneously. The method was thoroughly validated, and the precision at a concentration of 0.5 microg/L was 3.8-11% relative standard deviation for nonnitrated analytes using aniline-d(5) as internal standard and 3.7-10% for nitroaromatic amines without internal standard. The in situ derivatization/SPME/GC/MS method was calibrated over the whole analytical procedure and was linear over 2 orders of magnitude. Using 10-mL samples, detection limits of 2-13 ng/L were achieved for 15 of the 18 analytes. For two aminodinitrotoluene isomers and a diaminonitrotoluene, detection limits ranged from 27 to 38 ng/L. By allowing quantification at the 0.1 microg/L level, analysis of all target compounds meets EU drinking water regulations. The method provides high sensitivity, robustness, and high sample throughput by automation. Finally, the method was applied to various real water samples and in wastewater from a former ammunition plant the contents of several aromatic amines were quantified.     

Negative chemical ionization GC/MS determination of nitrite and nitrate in seawater using exact matching double spike isotope dilution and derivatization with triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate

The alkylation of nitrite and nitrate by triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate allows determination of their ethyl esters by headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In the present study, significant improvement in analytical performance is achieved using negative chemical ionization providing detection limits of 150 ng/L for NO(2)(-) and 600 ng/L for NO(3)(-), an order of magnitude better than those achieved using electron impact ionization. The derivatization procedure was optimized and alkaline conditions adopted to minimize conversion of nitrite to nitrate (determined to be 0.07% at 100 mg/L NO(2)(-)) and to avoid the exchange of oxygen between the analytes and the solvent (water). Quantitation entails use of isotopically enriched standards (N(18)O(2)(-) and (15)NO(3)(-)), which also permits monitoring of potential conversion from nitrite to nitrate during the analysis (double spike isotope dilution).     

Injection port derivatization following ion-pair hollow fiber-protected liquid-phase microextraction for determining acidic herbicides by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Injection port derivatization following ion-pair hollow fiber-protected liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) for the trace determination of acidic herbicides (2,4-dichlorobenzoic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)propionic acid, 3,5-dichlorobenzoic acid, 2-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)propionic acid) in aqueous samples by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was developed. Prior to GC injection port derivatization, acidic herbicides were converted into their ion-pair complexes with tetrabutylammonium chloride in aqueous samples and then extracted by 1-octanol impregnated in the hollow fiber. Upon injection, ion pairs of acidic herbicides were quantitatively derivatized to their butyl esters in the GC injection port. Thus, several parameters related to the derivatization process (i.e., injection temperature, purge-off time) were evaluated, and main parameters affecting the hollow fiber-protected LPME procedure such as extraction organic solvent, ion-pair reagent type, pH of aqueous medium, concentration of ion-pair reagent, sodium chloride concentration added to the aqueous medium, stirring speed, and extraction time profile, optimized. At the selected extraction and derivatization conditions, no matrix effects were observed. This method proved good repeatability (RSDs <12.3%, n = 6) and good linearity (r2 > or = 0.9939) for spiked deionized water samples for five analytes. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.51-13.7 ng x L(-1) (S/N =3) under GC/MS selected ion monitoring mode. The results demonstrated that injection port derivatization following ion-pair hollow fiber-protected LPME was a simple, rapid, and accurate method for the determination of trace acidic herbicides from aqueous samples. In addition, this method proved to be environmentally friendly since it completely avoided open derivatization with potentially hazardous reagents.     

Silyl derivatization of alkylphenols, chlorophenols, and bisphenol A for simultaneous GC/MS determination

A fast silyl derivatization technique for simultaneous GC/ MS analysis of alkylphenols, chlorophenols, and bisphenol A was developed. The analytes were silylized with an excess amount of bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) followed by hydrolysis of excess silyl reagent with water. Reaction rates of derivatization were studied in various solvents and found to be fastest in acetone. Derivatization reaction in acetone was completed quantitatively within 15 s at room temperature while it took more than 1 h in other solvents studied. Similar results were obtained in mixed solvents with acetone if the content of acetone was higher than 60% (v/v). Since water-immiscible solvents such as dichloromethane or hexane are frequently used in the extraction of phenolic analytes in various sample matrixes, acetone can be added to the extracts in order to accelerate the reaction rate of derivatization. Stability of the derivatives in sample for long-term storage was ensured by hydrolyzing excess derivatizing reagent, BSTFA, with a spike of water followed by dehydration using anhydrous sodium sulfate. On the basis of the above results, a derivatizing treatment kit was designed to improve the convenience of analysis. It was possible to treat sample within several minutes successfully by using the kit. So fast simultaneous determination of those anlaytes by GC/MS was possible with improved convenience as well as sensitivity and reproducibility.     

Differential metabolomics using stable isotope labeling and two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry

This work describes an approach to differential metabolomics that involves stable isotope labeling for relative quantification as part of sample analysis by two-dimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCxGC/MS). The polar metabolome in control and experimental samples was extracted and differentially derivatized using isotopically light and heavy (D6) forms of the silylation reagent N-methyl-N-tert-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA). MTBSTFA derivatives are of much greater hydrolytic stability than the more common trimethylsilyl derivatives, thus diminishing the possibility of isotopomer scrambling during GC analysis. Subsequent to derivatization with MTBSTFA, differentially labeled samples were mixed and analyzed by GCxGC/MS. Metabolites were identified, and the isotope ratio of isotopomers was quantified. The method was tested using three classes of metabolites; amino acids, fatty acids, and organic acids. The relative concentration of isotopically labeled metabolites was determined by isotope ratio analysis. The accuracy and precision, respectively, in quantification of standard mixtures was 9.5 and 4.77% for the 16 amino acids, 9.7 and 2.83% for the mixture of 19 fatty acids, and 14 and 4.53% for the 20 organic acids. Suitability of the method for the examination of complex samples was demonstrated in analyses of the spiked blood serum samples. This differential isotope coding method proved to be an effective means to compare the concentration of metabolites between two samples simultaneously.     

Analysis of perchlorate in water by reversed-phase LC/ESI-MS/MS using an internal standard technique

A new method was developed for the analysis of perchlorate in water by using reversed-phase liquid chromatograhy/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) in the negative ESI mode. Selective and sensitive perchlorate detection was obtained by monitoring the 35ClO4- --> 35ClO3- and 37ClO4- --> 37ClO3- mass transitions. The 35ClO4- --> 35ClO3- transition was quantitated against the internal standard oxygen-labeled sodium perchlorate (NaCl18O4). Sample pretreatment for the removal of major common anions and dissolved metal ions along with internal standard quantitation sufficiently compensated for ion suppression caused by the matrix. The 37ClO4- --> 37ClO3- transition was examined to provide additional specificity. The method sensitivity, accuracy, and precision were investigated by analyzing fortified blank samples, field samples, and performance evaluation samples. The results (1.01-13.5 microg/L) for the proficiency evaluation samples differed from the certified values (1.04-14.1 microg/L) by 3-18%. The developed reversed-phase LC/ESI-MS/MS method was rapid, accurate, and reproducible. The calculated method detection limits were 0.007 microg/L for deionized reagent water and 0.009 microg/L for synthesized reagent water, respectively. The minimum reporting limit was conservatively set to 0.05 microg/L.     

A study for producing drinking water with safe trihalomethane concentrations

This article investigates trihalomethanes (THMs) production and simulates water age in Assiut drinking water system using WaterCAD software. Pre-chlorinated water samples were collected from Nazlet Abdellah water treatment plant and post-disinfected with chlorine/chloramines with different chlorine-to-nitrogen ratios (Cl₂/N). Experiments have examined varying residence times, ratios of Cl₂/N, pH conditions, and storage containers’ type on THMs formation. The results showed that as the residence time increased, THMs concentrations increased. Water age in Assiut drinking water distribution network reaches more than 10 h. Using chloramines instead of free chlorine for post-disinfection resulted in lowering THMs concentrations to 58.9 % after 48 h of disinfection. Ratios of Cl₂/N (2:1–6:1) were comparable and effective on lowering THMs concentrations, and the most effective ratio was 4:1. Also, as the pH increased, the THMs increased. The measured THMs concentrations in chloraminated water stored in glass and plastic bottles were approximately the same.     

Low part per trillion determination of reactive alkanethiols in wastewater by in situ derivatization-solid-phase microextraction followed by GC/MS

A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) procedure for the simultaneous determination of volatile alkanethiols (i.e., methane-, ethane-, propanethiol) and dihydrogen sulfide in aqueous samples as stable thioethers followed by GC/MS determination was developed. Accordingly, N-ethylmaleimide as derivatization reagent in the aqueous phase was used for the first time, improving the analyte stability and method sensitivity in comparison to the determination of free forms. Thus, pH of the aqueous medium, reaction time, and derivatization reagent concentration have been evaluated, and the main parameters affecting the SPME process (i.e., coating selection, extraction mode and time profile, extraction and desorption temperatures) optimized. At the selected derivatization and extraction conditions, the proposed method provided no matrix effect either in the derivatization reaction or in the microextraction steps. RSD values were lower than 11% and LODs from 0.74 to 5.2 ng L(-1). The developed procedure was successfully applied to different water and wastewater samples, where dihydrogen sulfide and some of the target alkanethiols were identified at low-microgram per liter concentrations.     

Determination of carbamate, urea, and thiourea pesticides and herbicides in water

Microbore liquid chromatography and positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry are applied to the determination of 16 carbamate, urea, and thiourea pesticides and herbicides in water. The electrospray mass spectra of the analytes were measured and are discussed and mobile-phase matrix effects were evaluated. Analyte positive ion abundances are generally inversely related to the concentration of acetic acid in the acetonitrile-water mobile phase in the range of 0.001-0.1% (v/v) acetic acid. Using an internal standard for quantitative analyses and no acid in the mobile phase, retention time precision, peak width precision, concentration measurement precision, mean recoveries, and instrument detection limits were determined in reagent water. The 16 analytes were also measured in fortified environmental water samples from a recreational lake, a groundwater well, a cistern, a farm pond, and drinking water. These measurements were at 5 ng/mL of each analyte, which is within the range expected for environmental pesticide and herbicide contaminants. The analytes were separated from the environmental water matrixes with an on-line extraction and concentration to provide rapid sample analyses without a slow off-line liquid-liquid or liquid-solid-liquid extraction and extract concentration. Recoveries of 12 of the analytes from 4 environmental water samples were in the range of 75-124% with relative standard deviations in the range of 11-16%.     

Trace analysis of trimethoprim and sulfonamide, macrolide, quinolone, and tetracycline antibiotics in chlorinated drinking water using liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A multirun analytical method has been developed and validated for trace determination of 24 antibiotics including 7 sulfonamides, 3 macrolides, 7 quinolones, 6 tetracyclines, and trimethoprim in chlorine-disinfected drinking water using a single solid-phase extraction method coupled to liquid chromatography with positive electrospray tandem mass spectrometry detection. The analytes were extracted by a hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced resin and eluted with acidified methanol (0.1% formic acid), resulting in analyte recoveries generally above 90%. The limits of quantitation were mostly below 10 ng/L in drinking water. Since the concentrated sample matrix typically caused ion suppression during electrospray ionization, the method of standard addition was used for quantitation. Chlorine residuals in drinking water can react with some antibiotics, but ascorbic acid was found to be an effective chlorine quenching agent without affecting the analysis and stability of the antibiotics in water. A preliminary occurrence study using this method revealed the presence of some antibiotics in drinking waters, including sulfamethoxazole (3.0-3.4 ng/L), macrolides (1.4-4.9 ng/L), and quinolones (1.2-4.0 ng/L).     

Determination of detergent-derived fluorescent whitening agent isomers in lake sediments and surface waters by liquid chromatography

A method for the quantitative determination of three different fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) in lake sediments and surface waters is described. Stereoisomers of the two main laundry detergent FWAs of the diaminostilbene type (DAS 1) and of the distyrylbiphenyl type (DSBP), as well as total BLS (a compound contained in detergents until a few years ago), were quantitated in sediments and water from Greifensee, a small lake in Switzerland. The freeze-dried sediments were extracted in an ultrasonic bath using methanol with tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate as an ion-pairing reagent. Aqueous samples were extracted with C18 extraction disks, which were subsequently eluted by methanol with tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate. Both extracts from solid and aqueous samples were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Fluorescence detection was applied after postcolumn UV irradiation. Analytical reproducibility ranged from 1 to 12% (relative standard deviation). Limits of quantitation were 1-11 μg/kg of dry matter and 0.2-3 ng/L for solid and aqueous samples, respectively. Recoveries ranged from 93 to 100% and from 87 to 95% in solid and aqueous samples, respectively. Concentrations of DAS 1 and DSBP ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 mg/kg of dry matter in top sediment layers and from 12 to 98 ng/L in lake water. Concentrations of BLS were between 0.02 and 0.08 mg/kg of dry matter in top sediment layers and <0.2 ng/L in lake water.     

In situ derivatization/solid-phase microextraction for the determination of haloacetic acids in water

An in situ derivatization solid-phase microextraction method has been developed for the determination of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in water. The analytical procedure involves derivatization of HAAs to their methyl esters with dimethyl sulfate, headspace sampling using solid-phase microextraction (SPME), and gas chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry (GC/ITMS) determination. Parameters affecting both derivatization efficiency and head-space SPME procedure, such as the selection of the SPME coating, derivatization-extraction time and temperature, and ionic strength, were optimized. The commercially available Carboxen-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (CAR-PDMS) fiber appears to be the most suitable for the determination of HAAs. Moreover, the formation of HAA methyl esters was dramatically improved (up to 90-fold) by the addition of tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate (4.7 micromol) to the sample as ion-pairing agent in the derivatization step. The precision of the in situ derivatization/HS-SPME/GC/ITMS method evaluated using an internal standard gave relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 6.3 and 11.4%. The method was linear over 2 orders of magnitude, and detection limits were compound-dependent, but ranged from 10 to 450 ng/L. The method was compared with the EPA method 552.2 for the analysis of HAAs in various water samples, and good agreement was obtained. Consequently, in situ derivatization/HS-SPME/GC/ITMS is proposed for the analysis of HAAs in water.     

Simultaneous determination of estrogenic short ethoxy chain nonylphenols and their acidic metabolites in water by an in-sample derivatization/solid-phase microextraction method

An in-sample derivatization headspace solid-phase microextraction method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of nonylphenol, nonylphenol mono- and diethoxylates (NP, NP1EO, NP2EO), and their acidic metabolites (NPlEC, NP2EC) in water. The analytical procedure involves derivatization of NPEOs and NPECs to their methyl ethers--esters with dimethyl sulfate/NaOH and further headspace (HS) solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) determination. Parameters affecting both derivatization efficiency and headspace SPME procedure, such as the selection of the SPME coating, derivatizationextraction time, temperature and ionic strength were optimized. The commercially available Carbowax-divinylbenzene (CW-DVB) fiber appears to be the most suitable for the simultaneous determination of both NPEOs-NPECs. Run-to-run precision of the in-sample derivatization/HS-SPME-GC/MS method gave relative standard deviations between 8 and 18%. The method was linear for NP over 2 orders of magnitude, and detection limits were compound dependent but ranged from 20 to 1500 ng/L. The SPME procedure was compared with a solid-phase extraction SPE-GC/MS method for the analysis of NPEOs-NPECs in water samples and good agreement was obtained. Therefore, in-sample derivatization HS-SPME-GC/MS can be used as a method for the simultaneous determination of short ethoxy chain nonylphenols and their acidic metabolites in water.     

Characterization and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in surface water and sediment from Qiantang River, China

The spatial and temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been investigated in Qiantang River, an important drinking water resource in Yangzi River Delta, China. A total of 218 samples, including 180 water and 38 sediment samples were collected in January, April, July and October, 2005. The concentrations of total PAHs in water ranged from 70.3 to 1844.4ng/L with the mean value of 283.3ng/L, which were predominated by two- and three-ring PAHs. The concentration of total 15 PAHs in sediment ranges from 91.3 to 614.4ng/g dry weight with the mean value of 313.1ng/g dry weight, and three- and four-ring PAHs were dominant species. The ratios of AN/(AN+Phen) and Flur/(Flur+Pye) were calculated to evaluate the possible sources of PAHs. These ratios reflected a pattern of petrogenic input of PAHs in Qiantang River. The contents of PAHs in city zones were much higher than those in rural areas. It may be concluded that the urbanization and industrialization are causing some negative effect on the drinking water resource. As a drinking water resource, there existed certain potential health risks to drinking water consumers and organism in Qiantang River Basin.     

An on-line pre-concentration system for determination of cadmium in drinking water using FAAS

In the present paper, a minicolumn of polyurethane foam loaded with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) is proposed as pre-concentration system for cadmium determination in drinking water samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The optimization step was performed using two-level full factorial design and Doehlert matrix, involving the variables: sampling flow rate, elution concentration, buffer concentration and pH. Using the established experimental conditions in the optimization step of: pH 8.2, sampling flow rate 8.5 mL min(-1), buffer concentration 0.05 mol L(-1) and elution concentration of 1.0 mol L(-1), this system allows the determination of cadmium with detection limit (LD) (3sigma/S) of 20.0 ng L(-1) and quantification limit (LQ) (10sigma/S) of 64 ng L(-1), precision expressed as relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of 5.0 and 4.7% for cadmium concentration of 5.0 and 40.0 microg L(-1), respectively, and a pre-concentration factor of 158 for a sample volume of 20.0 mL. The accuracy was confirmed by cadmium determination in the standard reference material, NIST SRM 1643d trace elements in natural water. This procedure was applied for cadmium determination in drinking water samples collected from Salvador City, Bahia, Brazil. For five samples analyzed, the achieved concentrations varied from 0.31 to 0.86 microg L(-1).     

Extraction and analysis of trifluoroacetic Acid in environmental waters

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a mildly phytotoxic compound, is a stable atmospheric breakdown product of HFC-134a, HCFC-123, and HCFC-124. An extraction and analytical method has been developed for the routine analysis of low ppt levels of TFA in aqueous samples. TFA can be quantitatively recovered from most environmental waters by an extraction procedure using a commercial anion-exchange disk. In saline samples (conductivity >620 μS), where the presence of competing anions interfered with recovery, a liquid-liquid extraction cleanup was necessary. After extraction of TFA from water, the dried disk was placed in a headspace vial containing 10% sulfuric acid in methanol and the vial sealed and then vortexed for 30 s. The sulfuric acid-methanol solution extracts trifluoroacetate anion (TFA) from the anion-exchange matrix and, when heated, quantitatively converts it to the methyl ester, which is then analyzed by automated headspace gas chromatography using electron capture or mass spectrometry detection. Several environmental samples in addition to laboratory spike solutions were successfully extracted and analyzed with this technique. Recoveries averaged 108.2% for reagent water spiked at levels from 53 to 2110 ng/L with relative standard deviations ranging from 0.3 to 8.4%. The instrument's limit of detection for TFA standard was 3.3 ng. The limit of quantitation for the extraction and analytical technique was 36 ng/L. Three water samples can be prepared for automated analysis in 20 min using this technique.     

Speciation of alkyllead and inorganic lead by derivatization with deuterium-labeled sodium tetraethylborate and SPME-GC/MS

A method for full speciation and determination of alkyllead and inorganic lead(II) in aqueous samples was developed. This was accomplished by in situ derivatization with deuterium-labeled sodium tetraethylborate NaB(C2D5)4 (DSTEB). The derivatization was carried out directly in the aqueous sample and the derivatives were extracted from the headspace by a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber. The extracted analytes were then transferred to a GC/MS or a GC/FID for separation and detection. The research presented demonstrates that SPME and the derivatization reagent DSTEB can be used successfully for the speciation of Pb2+, Pb(CH3)3+, Pb(C2H5)3+, and Pb(C2H5)4 in water samples. All derivatives, Pb(C2D5)4, (CH3)3Pb(C2D5), (C2H5)3Pb(C2D5), and Pb(C2H5)4, are separated using an SBP-5 column. This method was applied to monitor degradation of tetraethyllead in water. This is the first report of ethylation by DSTEB for full speciation of methyllead, ethyllead, and inorganic lead compounds. This approach can be extended to other organometallic compounds as demonstrated for ethyltin speciation. This full speciation method will aid in monitoring occurrence, pathways, toxicity, and biological effects of these compounds in the environment. It is easily adopted for field analysis.     

Evaluation of hydrazine reduction by cellulose acetate filters using infrared tunable diode laser spectroscopy

Cellulose acetate (CA) filters have been investigated to determine their hydrazine (N2H4) breakthrough characteristics using a system based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDIAS). The breakthrough mass loading sorption curves for hydrazine were dependent on both the flow rate and the concentration. In experiments using a 4.5 ppmv hydrazine standard, the amounts of hydrazine retained by the CA filter were 4.25 microg at a flow rate of 2.82 L/min and 65 microg at a flow rate of 0.28 L/min. These loadings are much greater than the 31.5 ng/cigarette of hydrazine reported in smoke for unfiltered cigarettes. Further, CA filters exposed to four and eight puffs of smoke actually made the filter more efficient in retaining hydrazine compared to CA filters that had not been exposed to smoke. Therefore, if hydrazine is present in smoke at the levels reported in unfiltered cigarettes, all of the hydrazine would be trapped by the CA filter, and would be unable to break through during smoking. A unique feature of this analytical method is that the instrument does not require calibration after molecular parameters have been determined, in this case from previously acquired quantitative hydrazine FT-IR reference spectra.     

Trace analysis of ethanol, MTBE, and related oxygenate compounds in water using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry have been combined for trace-level determination of very polar compounds in water, including the widely used gasoline oxygenates ethanol and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). A relatively simple extraction method using a divinylbenzene/Carboxen/poly(dimethylsiloxane) SPME fiber was optimized for the routine analysis of ethanol and MTBE in groundwater and reagent water. A sodium chloride concentration of 25% (w/w) combined with an extraction time of 25 min provided the greatest sensitivity while maintaining analytical efficiency. Replicate analyses in fortified reagent and groundwater spiked with microgram per liter concentrations of ethanol and MTBE indicate quantitative and reproducible recovery of these and related oxygenate compounds. Method detection limits were 15 microg L(-1) for ethanol, 1.8 microg L(-1) for tert-butyl alcohol, 0.038 microg L(-1) for tert-amyl methyl ether, 0.025 microg L(-1) for ethyl-tert-butyl ether, and 0.008 microg L(-1) for MTBE.     

Determination of polar drug residues in sewage and surface water applying liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A simple and rapid method is presented for the trace-level analysis of 10 polar pharmaceutical residues in various types of water samples from the aquatic environment. Using this method, the pharmaceuticals and several drug metabolites can be analyzed in drinking and surface waters and in wastewater (treated and untreated sewage) at concentrations down to 0.01 microg/L. Samples are prepared by a simple in situ derivatization enabling the preconcentration of very polar metabolites by automated solid-phase extraction. The analytes were separated by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometric detection and quantified by comparison with an internal standard. Limits of quantification were between 0.01 and 0.02 microg/L for three phenazone-type pharmaceuticals, six of their metabolites, and the antiepileptic drug carbamazepine. Except for dimethylaminophenazone, recoveries for all analytes were between 87 and 117% for raw and purified sewage, groundwater, and surface and drinking water. Investigations of some environmental samples revealed that sewage and surface water treatment causes a slight reduction of the concentrations of some analytes whereas other compounds were persistent during water treatment. Thus, some compounds were detected at the low-microgram per liter level in sewage effluents of wastewater treatment plants in Berlin (Germany) and were also found at high-nanogram per liter concentrations in Berlin surface water samples.