Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds at the Parts per Trillion Level in Complex Aqueous Matrixes Using Membrane Introduction Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Recent advances in membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS) have demonstrated the utility of MIMS in the trace level analysis of volatile organic compounds in water. The present study details the performance of an ion trap mass spectrometer fitted with a capillary membrane probe in the direct analysis of volatile organic compounds in water using flow injection techniques. Detection limits for 59 volatile organic compounds listed in EPA method 524.2 were determined to be in the mid to low parts per trillion (pptr) range using MIMS. Analyses of these compounds in untreated river water, sea water, and matrices containing strong acids and bases are demonstrated. The matrix studies show that there are no adverse effects on compound identification or detection limits resulting from matrix interferences in MIMS. Further experiments demonstrate the utility of MIMS as a direct analysis technique for on-line monitoring of trihalomethane formation in water treatment facilities. Detection limits of 100 pptr were obtained for the four trihalomethanes, with repetitive sample times averaging 6 min/sample. Quantitation of the total trihalomethane content was performed in one step, demonstrating further increases in analytical speed over traditional analysis methods. 26 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.