A selective ion monitoring assay for tributyltin and its degradation products

Tributyltin (TBT) is a biocide which has been shown to enter the aquatic environment by release from antifouling paints. TBT is acutely toxic to some marine organisms at concentrations near 1 microgram l-1 and physiological changes may occur at low nanogram per liter concentrations. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) (methane chemical ionization) has been used for identification (full scanning) and quantification (selected ion monitoring) of TBT, dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT). The butyltins were extracted from environmental water samples with hexane/0.2% tropolone and derivatized with hexyl magnesium bromide to form hexylbutyltins. Selected ion monitoring was at m/z 319 (TBT) and m/z 347 (DBT, MBT and tripentyltin, the internal standard). Calibration curves prepared in natural water were linear and detection limits were less than 2 ng l-1. GC/MS and GC with flame photometric detection were compared as quantification methods for environmental samples and were shown to give similar results at the low nanogram per liter levels.