Determination of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl in beverages by solid-phase microextraction

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was used to determine methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT), a gasoline antiknock additive, in beverages. MMT levels in beverages exposed to gasoline vapours for 1 h ranged from 0.62 to 2.84 ng/ml and continued to increase up to 16 h. A capillary gas chromatograph (GC) was coupled to an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS) for element specific detection. The limit of detection was 4 pg MMT. Method limits of detection for MMT varied from 0.4 pg to 260 pg/ml depending on the beverage.