Determination of Trace of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether in Water Using Liquid Drop Headspace Sampling and GC

Abstract

The possibility of applying headspace microextraction into a single drop of solvent for the determination of methyl tert -butyl ether in aqueous solutions has been demonstrated. A drop of benzyl alcohol is used for extraction. The analyte is extracted by suspending a 1.8 μL extracting drop directly from the tip of a microsyringe fixed above an extraction vial with a septum such that the needle passes through the septum and the needle tip is positioned above the surface of the solution. After the extraction is finished, the drop is retracted back into the needle and injected directly into a GC column. Optimization of experimental variables (time, temperature, stirring rate and ionic strength of the solution) with respect to the extraction efficiency was investigated. The calibration range for methyl tert-butyl ether was 0.01–10 ppm and the detection limit 7 ppb. The relative standard deviation for 0.1 ppm methyl tert -butyl ether in water was 5.5%.