Determination of Sulfophenyl Carboxylic Acids in Agricultural Groundwater Samples by Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

Abstract

We have developed an analytical method to determine six sulfophenyl carboxylic acids (SPC) in agricultural groundwater samples. It involves a solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure and subsequent separation and determination using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC–FD).The quantification limits ranged between 0.7 and 1.2 ng ml⁻¹. The proposed method was proved satisfactorily for the detection and determination of these compounds in groundwater samples during a study into the biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) in an agricultural soil sampled from the irrigated plain to the west of Granada (Spain).

Keywords:

• Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS)
• liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection (LC–FD)
• solid-phase extraction (SPE)
• sulfophenyl carboxylic acids (SPC)

This work was supported by the Junta de Andalucía (Project of Excellence No. P06-FQM-01529). The authors are grateful to Petroquímica Española S.A. for its valuable contribution to this study. They also thank A.L. Tate for revising their English text.

Notes

*Mean value of six determinations. RSD (%): relative standard deviation.

*Mean value±standard deviation of six determinations.

*Concentration expressed in μg ml⁻¹.

<LOD: minor that the limit of detection.

<LOQ: minor that the limit of quantification.