Studies on Environmental Contamination by Polychlorinated Naphthalenes (PCN). V. Evaluation for Analysis of Persistent Substances (especially, PCN) in Water

Abstract

As planktons are in a food chain system, it is very important in the analysis of persistent substances in water samples whether or not the compounds in suspended solids comprising planktons can be determined. From this point of view, a method for the determination of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCN) in water was investigated. A water sample was filtered through a cotton plug, and the filtered water was loaded on a column of dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid-binding polyamide. PCN adsorbed on the column was eluted with ethanol. After dilution of the eluate with water, PCN was extracted with hexane. The concentrated extract and the cotton plug containing suspended solids were saponified with a ethanolic solution of potassium hydroxide. After re-extraction with hexane, PCN was determined by ECD-gas chromatography. When PCN in sea water samples was determined by both of the proposed method and the extraction one, the individual value obtained by the former was always higher than that obtained by the latter. It was suggested that PCN in planktons as well as the compound dissolved in sea water samples was determined by this method.