Multisyringe flow injection system for solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography using monolithic...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Phenolic compounds are priority pollutants in water, necessitating sensitive detection methods.
• Existing methods for phenolic pollutant analysis can be time-consuming and complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a fast, automated solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure for screening priority phenolic pollutants in water.
• To achieve low limit of detection (LOD) and high enrichment factors for phenolic compounds.

Main Methods:

• A flow-through column SPE system utilizing a polystyrene-divinylbenzene sorbent was integrated with a multisyringe flow injection system (MSFIA).
• The MSFIA system was computer-controlled for automated sample loading and analyte elution, directly coupling sample preparation to HPLC-UV determination.
• Enrichment factors, LODs, and recovery rates were evaluated for phenol and ten derivatives in various water matrices.

Main Results:

• High enrichment factors (mean value 176 for 50 mL sample) were achieved for phenolic pollutants.
• Limit of detection (LOD) values below 1 ng mL(-1) were obtained for the maximum sample volume (100 mL).
• Mean recoveries ranged from 89% to 103% across different water matrices, with successful validation using certified reference material.

Conclusions:

• The developed automated SPE-HPLC-UV method is a fast, reliable, and sensitive tool for water quality and environmental monitoring of phenolic pollutants.
• The system demonstrates high efficiency in sample preparation and analyte determination, suitable for routine analysis.
• The method's applicability was confirmed through successful testing with certified reference materials and contaminated soil samples.