Application Note ReView: AS233 – Dichloromethane and Chloroform Speciation Using Negative Ion SIFT-MS
Automated SIFT-MS
Organochlorine compounds, along with other VOCs such as the BTEX group of compounds (benzene, toluene and the xylenes) continue to be significant contaminants in air, soil and water. Various techniques have been employed to analyse the compounds, the most common being purge and trap followed by GC analysis. These techniques are generally slow, and the need to remove water from the matrix prior to injection adds further complications. Therefore, this edition of Application Note ReView takes a look back at AS233 – Dichloromethane and Chloroform Speciation Using Negative Ion SIFT-MS.
Direct analysis using SIFT-MS mitigates the water removal step and can lead to significant increases in throughput, allowing environmental test laboratories to greatly increase the number of samples tested, and decrease the turnaround time and cost.
One drawback with single polarity SIFT-MS, is its inability to effectively perform dichloromethane and chloroform speciation. But in As233, we show that by using negative ion SIFT-MS it is possible to directly speciate dichloromethane and chloroform, in real-time. This enables laboratories to offer fast, straightforward analysis of these two important compounds without compromising other compounds in the VOC suite.
In previous Application Notes (AS191, AS209 and AS212) it has been shown that by combining the power of direct analysis using Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry and GERSTEL automation (automated SIFT-MS), headspace analysis of volatile compounds in water can be greatly simplified. Additionally, with analysis time allowing for at least 15 samples per hour to be run, significant gains in sample throughput can be achieved. Particularly when compared to traditional purge and trap methods.
The method shows good linearity across at least three orders of magnitude and the precision of the method is good, with RSDs of lessthan 7% for all measurements. Coupled with the fast analysis times that automated SIFT-MS can achieve, this method shows significant promise in the analysis of chlorinated VOCs.
To find out more, DOWNLOAD the full Application Note
About the Author:
Mark Perkins, Senior Applications Chemist and SIFT-MS Specialist
“I joined Anatune in April 2015 in the role of Applications Chemist. I was formerly with TARRC where I was head of the Materials Characterisation Unit.
In my time at TAARC, I gained 12 years’ experience in polymer R&D, testing and analysis, having joined the company in 2002 as a Senior Analyst running the gas and liquid chromatography section.
I graduated from the University of Southampton with a BSc (Hons) degree in Chemistry in 1992, followed by a PhD in electrochemistry.
Here at Anatune, I am a Senior Applications Chemist and Product Specialist for our range of SIFT-MS products.”
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