A modified phenylfluorone method for determining organotin compounds in the ppb and sub-ppb range

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Organotin compounds are environmental contaminants requiring sensitive detection methods.
• Existing tin analysis methods may lack specificity for organotin species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a phenylfluorone-based method for specific organotin quantification.
• To achieve high sensitivity for bis(tri-n-butyltin) oxide (TBTO) in environmental matrices.

Main Methods:

• Modified phenylfluorone method utilizing two extractions.
• Wet oxidation with hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid.
• Spectrophotometric determination of tin complex at lambda max ~530 nm.

Main Results:

• Quantitative TBTO analysis in the ppb and sub-ppb range (0.1-7.0 micrograms of tin).
• Method demonstrated specificity, avoiding interference from inorganic tin sulfate.
• High linearity (correlation coefficient > 0.990) achieved.

Conclusions:

• The modified phenylfluorone method offers a sensitive and specific approach for organotin analysis.
• Validated for analyzing over 400 environmental samples.
• Suitable for trace-level detection of TBTO in complex matrices.