Online sequential analysis of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds in water matrices by double robotic sample preparations and dual-channel mono and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry system.

Journal: Journal of chromatography. A
PMID: 38723493

Abstract

The monitoring of organic compounds in aquatic matrices poses challenges due to its complexity and time-intensive nature. To address these challenges, we introduce a novel approach utilizing a dual-channel mono (D) and comprehensive two-dimensional (D) gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS) system, integrated with a robotic pretreatment platform, for online monitoring of both volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in water matrices. Employing the robotic platform, we establish a suite of online liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) pretreatment processes for water samples, marking the first instance of such procedures. Leveraging the automatic headspace (HS) module, dual robotic preparations of HS and LLE are sequentially executed to extract VOCs and SVOCs from water matrices. The GC × GC-TOFMS system is distinguished by its dual-channel analytical column configuration, facilitating sequential analysis of VOCs in GC-TOFMS mode and SVOCs in GC × GC-TOFMS mode. Quantitative detection of 55 target VOCs and 104 SVOCs is achieved in a water sample using the instrument system. Our method demonstrates excellent correlation coefficients ranging from 0.990 to 1.000, method detection limits ranging from 0.08 to 4.78 μg L, relative standard deviations below 19.3 %, and recovery rates ranging from 50.0 % to 124.0 %. To validate the online monitoring capabilities of our system, we assess target SVOCs at three different concentration levels over a 3-day period. Most compounds exhibit recovery rates ranging from 70.0 % to 130.0 %. Furthermore, we apply our method to analyze a real water sample, successfully identifying over 100 target and nontarget VOCs/SVOCs, including alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters, and phenols. These results highlight the efficacy of the proposed analysis system, capable of conducting two distinct analyses in automatic sequence, thereby enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of organic compound analysis in water matrices.

Authors

  • Manman Wu
    Graduate Department, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154000, Heilongjiang, China.
  • Qin Ma
    Computational Systems Biology Lab, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA BioEnergy Science Center, TN 37831, USA.
  • Mei Li
    Department of Laboratory Medicine, Med+X Center for Manufacturing, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China.
  • Zhen Zhou
    Deepwise Healthcare, Beijing 100080, China.
  • Jingwei Xu
    MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
  • Geoffrey I N Waterhouse
    College of Chemistry and Material Science, Shandong Agricultural University, 271018 Taian, Shandong, People's Republic of China; School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
  • Ninghui Song
    Laboratory of Pesticide Environmental Assessment and Pollution Control, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Nanjing 210042, China.
  • Wei-Wei Zhao
    State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, PR China. Electronic address: zww@nju.edu.cn.
  • Guangxu Chen
    School of Environment and Energy, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China. Electronic address: cgx08@scut.edu.cn.

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