Analysis of bromophenols in various aqueous samples using solid phase extraction followed by HPLC-MS/MS

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Bromophenols (BPs) are environmental contaminants requiring sensitive detection methods.
• Degradation of BPs in aqueous samples necessitates immediate preservation and analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable method for simultaneous analysis of trace bromophenols in aqueous samples.
• To establish optimal conditions for extraction and quantification of BPs.

Main Methods:

• Acidification of samples post-collection to prevent bromophenol degradation.
• Solid-phase extraction (SPE) for sample concentration and purification.
• High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) for detection and quantification.

Main Results:

• Successful separation and detection of fourteen out of fifteen target bromophenols.
• Method validation yielded acceptable recoveries (64-100%) and precisions (0.4-11% RSD).
• Method detection limits ranged from 0.1-13.9 ng/L in river water and 0.1-21.9 ng/L in seawater.

Conclusions:

• The developed HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method is effective for simultaneous analysis of trace bromophenols in diverse aqueous matrices.
• The method was successfully applied to real water samples, identifying six bromophenols at concentrations from ng/L to μg/L.
• This analytical approach is crucial for assessing bromophenol contamination in the environment.