Headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the sensitive determination of benzotriazole UV stabilizers in water samples

A sensitive procedure for the determination of five ultraviolet (UV) absorbers, belonging to the benzotriazole class, in environmental water samples is proposed. Analytes were first extracted and concentrated from the matrix and then selectively determined by gas chromatography in combination with tandem mass spectrometry detection. The high lipophilic character of some of the investigated species resulted in a strong trend to remain sorbed on solid surfaces, even after addition of considerable percentages of methanol (up to 30%) to water. Thus, minimizing sample handling during the enrichment step is mandatory in order to obtain acceptable accuracy and precision. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME), as sample preparation approach, fulfilled the above requirement and provided acceptable figures of merit for the determination of target species in environmental water samples, including raw wastewater. Optimization of SPME conditions showed that the combination of headspace extraction, with a sample temperature of 100 degrees C and addition of 15 mg of NaCl per milliliter of sample rendered the best compromise in terms of extraction efficiency for all species. Considering a sampling time of 30 min with a poly(dimethylsiloxane)divinylbenzene-coated SPME fiber, limits of quantification below 2 ng l(-1) and relative standard deviations between 5% and 12% were achieved. Three of the five species included in this research were determined in raw wastewater with a maximum concentration of 57 ng l(-1) for the Tinuvin 326 UV absorber.