Determination of Volatile Disinfection Byproducts in Water by Gas Chromatography-Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry

Chlorination disinfection byproducts have drawn significant attention in water quality research during the last decades, due to their adverse effects on public health. A method is reported for the determination of trihalomethanes, haloacetonitriles, haloketones, and chloropicrin based on liquid-liquid extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The optimum electron ionization energy was determined and precursor ions and product ions for thirteen volatile disinfection byproducts were identified. The method provides rapid chromatographic analysis (10 minutes) and good separation. The linear dynamic range extended from 0.05 to 100 mu gL(-1) (r(2)=0.9983-0.9997, n=10) and the limits of detection (LODs) were between 0.003 and 0.014 mu gL ( -1 ). The intra-day (n=5) and inter-day (n=6) relative standard deviations were in the ranges of 2.81-8.22% and 3.48-10.85%, respectively. The method was validated by measurement of the recoveries of fortified surface, ground, and wastewater to be 74.7-115.4%, 86.1-120.6%, and 81.6-126.1%, respectively.