Determination of UV filters in river water samples by in-line SPE-CE-MS

The use of SPE coupled in-line to CE using electrospray MS detection (in-line SPE-CE-ESI-MS) was investigated for the preconcentration and separation of four UV filters: benzophenone-3, 2,2-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone and 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulphonic acid. First, a CE-ESI-MS method was developed and validated using standard samples, obtaining LODs between 0.06 μg/mL and 0.40 μg/mL. For the in-line SPE-CE-ESI-MS method, three different sorbents were evaluated and compared: Oasis HLB, Oasis MCX, and Oasis MAX. For each sorbent, the main parameters affecting the preconcentration performance, such as sample pH, volume, and composition of the elution plug, and sample injection time were studied. The Oasis MCX sorbent showed the best performance and was used to validate the in-line SPE-CE-ESI-MS methodology. The LODs reached for standard samples were in the range between 0.01 and 0.05 ng/mL with good reproducibility and the developed strategy provided sensitivity enhancement factors between 3400-fold and 34 000-fold. The applicability of the developed methodology was demonstrated by the analysis of UV filters in river water samples.