[Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for the determination...

A simple, rapid and effective method, the dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (DLLME-HPLCFLD), has been developed for the extraction and determination of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environmental water samples. The factors relevant to the microextraction efficiency, such as type and volume of dispersion agent and extraction solvents and the extraction time were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the reliability of the proposed method was evaluated. The linear response of this method was in the range of 0.01-10 microg/L (r > or = 0.9913), the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of peak area for 0.05 microg/L PAHs were in the range of 2.3%-4.7% (n = 6). At room temperature, the method exhibited excellent enrichment factors and good recoveries, 674-1032 and 67.4%-103.2% respectively. The detection limits (S/N = 3) were in the range of 0. 000 3 - 0. 002 pg/L. The developed method was applied to the determination of 15 PAHs in the water from Aojiang river, the average recoveries were 79.5% -92.3% with RSD of 4.3%-6.7% (n = 5). The developed method is suitable for the analysis of trace PAHs in environmental water samples.