Optimization of the headspace solid-phase microextraction for determination of glycol ethers by orthogonal array designs

A solvent free method of analysis to rapidly determine trace levels of ten medium and low brominated diphenyl ethers in soil pore water

A solvent free method to rapidly determine trace levels of ten brominated diphenyl ethers in soil pore water.

Orthogonal Design Study on Factors Affecting the Determination of Common Odors in Water Samples by Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to GC/MS

Geosmin and 2-MIB are responsible for the majority of earthy and musty events related to the drinking water. These two odorants have extremely low odor threshold concentrations at ng L(-1) level in the water, so a simple and sensitive method for the analysis of such trace levels was developed by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. In this study, the orthogonal experiment design L32 (4(9)) was applied to arrange and optimize experimental conditions. The optimum was the following: temperatures of extraction and desorption, 65°C and 260°C, respectively; times of extraction and desorption, 30 min and 5 min, respectively; ionic strength, 25% (w/v); rotate-speed, 600 rpm; solution pH, 5.0. Under the optimized conditions, limits of detection (S/N = 3) were 0.04 and 0.13 ng L(-1) for geosmin and 2-MIB, respectively. Calculated calibration curves gave high levels of linearity with a correlation coefficient value of 0.9999 for them. Finally, the proposed method was applied to water samples, which were previously analyzed and confirmed to be free of target analytes. Besides, the proposal method was applied to test environmental water samples. The RSDs were 2.75%~3.80% and 4.35%~7.6% for geosmin and 2-MIB, respectively, and the recoveries were 91%~107% and 91%~104% for geosmin and 2-MIB, respectively.

Headspace Solid Phase Micro Extraction GC-ECD Determination of Volatile Organic Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in Soils

Soil samples were suspended in a suitable aqueous solvent and a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fibre was used to sample the headspace (HS) for five volatile chlorinated compounds (VOX). Their determination was made by GC-ECD technique in the splitless mode. Preliminary studies on the effects of methanol and of the sand/clay ratio on the fibre extraction were made. Four experimental factors, namely, extraction time, extraction temperature, pH and NaCl%, able to affect distribution of the analytes among the four different phases, were varied in suitable ranges. A multivariate approach applied to the face centred cube (FCC) experimental design, was used to try to optimise the overall sample response. The suitable set of factors found for the determination of chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, 1,1 ,2-trichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, was a compromise among the relevant optimal factor sets of the single analytes. Detection limits of 0.003 ng, 0.022 ng, 0.001 ng, 0.015 ng and 0.002 ng were found respectively for the five cited analytes. The method was successfully used to determine the analyte contents in two real soils sampled in an industrial area.

Use of experimental design in the optimisation of a solid phase preconcentration system for Cobalt determination by GFAAS

In this work is proposed a solid phase preconcentration system of Co2+ ions and its posterior determination by GFAAS in which fractional factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM) were used for optimization of the variables associated with preconcentration system performance. The method is based on cobalt extraction as a complex Co2+-PAN (1:2) in a mini-column of polyurethane foam (PUF) impregnated with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-naphthol (PAN) followed by elution with HCl solution and its determination by GFAAS. The chemical and flow variables studied were pH, buffer concentration, eluent concentration and preconcentration and elution flow rates. Results obtained from fractional factorial design 2(5-1) showed that only the variables pH, buffer concentration and interaction (pH X buffer concentration) based on analysis of variance (ANOVA) were statistically significant at 95% confidence level. Under optimised conditions, the method provided an enrichment factor of 11.6 fold with limit of detection and quantification of 38 and 130 ng L-1, respectively, and linear range varying from 0.13 to 10 µg L-1. The precision (n = 9) assessed by relative standard deviation (RSD) was respectively 5.18 and 2.87% for 0.3 and 3.0 µg L-1 cobalt concentrations.