Volatile and semivolatile organo-halogen trace analysis in surface water by direct aqueous injection GC-ECD

A procedure for simultaneous determination of volatile and semivolatile chloroorganic compounds (from trichloromethane to di- and trichlorobenzenes to hexachlorobutadiene) in aqueous samples was developed. The procedure is based on a DAI-GC-ECD technique widely used for trihalomethanes determination in drinking water. The DAI technique application could have been extended to semivolatile chloroorganic compounds by using a Rtx-624 (60 m x 0.32 mm I.D., df 1.8 microns (6% cyanopropyl, 94% dimethyl polysiloxane). Precision (R.S.D.) and detection limits of the DAI-GC-ECD procedure with respect to 12 volatile and semivolatile chloroorganics were determined. Relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) were lower than 22% and the detection limits (concentration equivalent to a peak height three times the baseline noise) range from 0.02 microgram L-1 for trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene to 0.25 microgram L-1 for hexachlorobutadiene to 1.6 micrograms L-1 for 1,2-dichlorobenzene. The method was successfully used to determine chloroorganic pollutants in river water.