Determination of Priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water at The Trace Level

Abstract

A procedure is proposed for the determination of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The procedure differs from the known ones by the low level of the limit of determination, 0.1–1.0 ng/L and intra laboratory precision of 15–20%. A simple and rapid sample preparation procedure—a single extraction of PAH with n-hexane (sample volume 0.1 L, concentration factor 10²–10³)—can be easily implemented in routine analyses in monitoring research. The direct analysis of extracts eliminates the risk of losses of easily volatile PAH. Among the additional advantages of the procedure are small volumes of the extractant (1 mL) and the organic solvent, respectively, for its subsequent utilization. The procedure was tested in monitoring PAH in waters of Lake Baikal and its side streams and in the analysis of atmospheric precipitates on urban and background areas.