Determination of trace low-molecular-weight volatile polar organics in water by gas chromatography using distillation method

The distillation technique has been investigated as a means of concentrating in the distillate the low-molecular-weight volatile polar organic compounds such as alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes in aqueous solution. The volatility of these compounds relative to that of water was found to be a useful parameter in determining the concentration of the respective compounds in the distillate. By directly injecting the distillate onto a gas chromatographic column, low-molecular-weight volatile polar organics can be determined quantitatively at the ppb level. The relative standard deviation for the distillation technique is approximately 5% based on triplicate runs using an internal standard. This study shows that the distillation technique is a simple, unique, and efficient method of concentrating low-molecular-weight volatile polar organics at the ppb level for subsequent gas chromatographic analysis.