Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congeners in Water by Liquid–Liquid Microextraction Procedure and Gas-Chromatography

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls are toxic pollutants characterized by persistence in the atmosphere and ability to accumulate in food chains. Like other persistent organic pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls are still present in the environment despite their almost worldwide prohibition. In this study we propose a simple and a rapid liquid-liquid microextraction procedure to determine ten representative polychlorinated biphenyl congeners in rain and mineral water. The procedure combined extraction and concentration in a single step followed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The proposed methodology showed good linearity, reproducibility, and a limit of detection with a range of 10–30 ng/l. Real mineral water samples were analyzed using the optimized method.

Keywords:

• Liquid–liquid microextraction
• Polychlorinated biphenyls
• Water analysis