On-line supercritical fluid extraction—supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil

Abstract

On-line supercritical fluid extraction – supercritical fluid chromatography – mass spectrometry (SFE-SFC-MS) has been applied for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the first on-line SFE-SFC-MS method for the quantification of PAHs in various types of soil. By coupling the sample extraction on-line with chromatography and detection, sample preparation is minimized, diminishing sample loss and contamination, and significantly decreasing the required extraction time. Parameters for on-line extraction coupled to chromatographic analysis were optimized. The method was validated for concentrations of 10–1500 ng of PAHs per gram of soil in Certified Reference Material (CRM) sediment, clay, and sand with R2 ≥ 0.99. Limits of detection (LOD) were found in the range of 0.001–5 ng/g, and limits of quantification (LOQ) in the range of 5–15 ng/g. The method developed in this study can be effectively applied to the study of PAHs in the environment, and may lay the foundation for further applications of on-line SFE-SFC-MS.