Application Notes: Environmental

UCT, LLC

FMS, Inc.

Gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS-MS) operated in MRM mode is a powerful technology for multi-residue analysis in complex food matrices. Good GC separation combined with MS-MS selectivity facilitates monitoring hundreds of MRM transitions within a short cycle time which allows for analysis of large number of compounds in complex food matrices. Nevertheless, MRM method development is time consuming and labor-intensive, which mainly comes from mapping retention time, MRM transition set-up and post-data processing.

Water samples from six urban and rural locations were extracted and analyzed by GC?GC–TOFMS. GC?GC–TOFMS provided an analysis approach for the detection of known EDCs as well as other non-targeted persistent pollutants.

N-Methylcarbamates are widely used agricultural pesticides. For their determination, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with fluorescence detection following postcolumn derivatization, per U.S. EPA Methods 531.2 and 8318, is typically used.

Residuals of pesticides widely used in agriculture are monitored in foods for human consumption through the use of statutory maximum residue levels (MRLs). Regulation EC 396/2005 adopted in the European Union sets MRLs for over 500 pesticides in over 300 food commodities, many at a default value of 0.01 mg/kg (the typical routine analytical method limit of determination).

Organochlorine pesticides are man-made organic chemicals with a history of wide spread use in both the United States as well as globally. Tending to be very persistent in the environment, they have found their way into sediments and drinking water supplies posing serious health risks. Organochlorines have a wide range of both acute and chronic health effects, including cancer, neurological damage, and birth defects. Many organochlorines are also suspected endocrine disruptors.

Often used for weed control, triazine herbicides have been found to have detrimental environmental and health effects. Much debate has focused on the level at which these compounds negatively impact health. To monitor and control human exposure to these herbicides, regulatory bodies have established allowable limits of triazines in drinking and wastewater.

Aniline is an organic compound widely used in the polymer, rubber, pharmaceutical, and dye industries. Aniline and its derivatives (e.g., nitroanilines) are suspected carcinogens and are highly toxic to aquatic life. Because these compounds are thermolabile and polar, the traditional analytical methods require a derivatization step prior to GC analysis.

This application demonstrates that stringent sensitivity requirements for the detection of potentially harmful primary aromatic amines can be fulfilled when using an Agilent 1290 Infinity LC system equipped with the 1290 large volume injection kit.

Underground storage tanks (USTs) for various petroleum-based substances such as gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil are monitored for leaks as authorized by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Concurrent solvent recondensation–large volume splitless injection (CSR-LVSI), an alternative to programmed temperature vaporization (PTV), typically requires a special GC inlet. The technique described here uses an unmodified split/splitless inlet with CSR-LVSI to lower detection limits for the analysis of 1,4-dioxane in drinking water.

Diesel range organic (DRO) compounds have boiling points similar to diesel fuel (C10–C28), ranging from 170–430 ?C. These heavy compounds are amenable to GC-FID analysis; however, important considerations should be taken to ensure reproducible results over repeated injections.

This application note will demonstrate the extraction of 1,4-dioxane from an aqueous matrix using option 1 of EPA Method 522 for 500 mL initial volume sample. It will make use of the SmartPrep Cartridge Extraction system to produce a valid initial demonstration of precision (IDP) and initial demonstration of accuracy (IDA).

This application demonstrates that stringent sensitivity requirements for the detection of potentially harmful primary aromatic amines can be fulfilled when using an Agilent 1290 Infinity LC system equipped with the 1290 large volume injection kit.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has established the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Program to collect data for contaminants suspected to be present in drinking water (1). The US EPA is currently proposing Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule 3 (UCMR 3) which will collect data from January 2013 through December 2015. Because of the impact on public health and safety, it is vital to have a system that can detect and analyze for these compounds at low levels.

The analysis of PAHs in less than 16 min using hydrogen as carrier gas and the PerkinElmer? Clarus? SQ 8 GC/MS operating in SIM mode is presented. Detection limits down to 0.5 pg on-column and a wide dynamic range are reported.

As analytical chemist(s), the data collected from samples we test represent information. That information may be required to direct environmental clean-up operations, help insure worker safety, or guide decisions for an emergency response to a chemical incident.

Shale gas reservoirs, such as the Marcellus shale reserve in Pennsylvania and Barnett shale reserve in Texas are a growing source of natural gas in the United States. Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" involves pumping water, sand, and chemicals at extremely high pressure into deep underground wells to crack open hydrocarbon-rich shale formations and extract natural gas.

This application note describes the use of triggered Multiple Reaction Monitoring (tMRM) for the analysis of pesticide residues applied to chamomile and ginger extracts. The analysis is performed using the Agilent 1290 LC system coupled to a 6460 Triple Quadrupole LC/MS with tMRM acquisition.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) are fat-soluble, highly toxic, ubiquitous environmental contaminants found at trace levels in all foodstuffs and animal feed.

Chemical contaminants that are released into the marine environment may be ingested (absorbed) by fish and shellfish and thus become introduced into the human food chain.

More than 1000 pesticides are currently used worldwide in the treatment of soil and crops. Many countries have established allowable levels of those pesticides in food to protect consumers. While these maximum residue levels (MRLs) vary, the default tolerance is 10 parts per billion (ppb).

The purpose of this study is to determine how the Direct-to-GC vial concentrator tube and the DryVap ® Concentrator System can optimize the recoveries for both low and high boiling point semi-volatile compounds.

Microwave assisted extraction (MAE) offers significant benefits over traditional soxhlet extraction for dioxins and furans determination from environmental samples including higher sample throughput, time savings, reduced solvent and great reproducibility.

The determination of common inorganic anions and cations in drinking water is important due to the toxicity of anions (e.g., fluoride, nitrite, and nitrate) and secondary contaminants (e.g., chloride and sulfate) which can affect the water's aesthetics.

A simple screening method for Pyrethroid insecticides in sediment samples is described. Electron impact ionization (EI) with tandem MS-MS in combination with programmed temperature vaporization injection (PTV) were used in order to obtain excellent specificity and low limits of detection.

Over the last decade the use of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) has doubled in the United States. As a result, PPCPs have entered the environment through both human activity and as by-products from manufacturing, agricultural activities, medical use and veterinarian facilities.