Analytical Methods for Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) — A Historical Perspective on the 16 U.S. EPA Priority Pollutant PAHs

Abstract

The identification of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as priority pollutants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1976 has been a primary driver for analytical methods development for the determination of PAHs. In this article, the historical development of methods in liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) to separate these 16 PAHs is discussed. In LC a significant effort was the search for and the fundamental understanding of the unique stationary phase capable of achieving the desired separation of the 16 EPA PAHs. For GC methods, the focus on stationary phase development has been the separation of critical isomers with a broader scope than the 16 EPA PAHs. The current routine LC and GC methods for the 16 EPA PAHs are well established; however, new advances in analytical techniques beyond LC and GC are discussed. Many analysts are now interested in more than just the 16 EPA PAHs (e.g., higher molecular mass PAHs and alkyl-substituted PAHs) and analytical methods have emerged to address these needs. Reference materials and their use in the determination of PAHs are discussed.

Key Words:

• certified reference materials (CRMs)
• chromatographic selectivity
• extraction
• gas chromatography (GC)
• liquid chromatography (LC)
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
• standard reference materials (SRMs)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors acknowledge the contributions of analysts at NIST who have provided measurements used in the certification of PAHs in the SRMs mentioned in this article including: Bruce A. Benner, Jr., John R. Kucklick, Jacolin A. Murray, Dianne L. Poster, Catherine A. Rimmer, and Stacy S. Vander Pol.