Screening of alkanocarboxylic and phenolic herbicides in water samples by means of derivatization-based gas chromatography

This work presents a method of screening of alkanophenoxy carboxylic (2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, MCPA, MCPP) and phenolic (dinoterb, dinoseb, pentachlorophenol) herbicides in water. The successive steps of the method, i.e. liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and methyl-tert-butyl ether and solid phase extraction using C18-modified silica gel and styrenedivinylbenzene copolymer-packed cartridges as well as an ininjection port derivatization with trimethyl phenylammonium hydroxide, were tested. The conditions of GC-FID and GC-MS analysis were optimized. The method developed was applied to determine selected herbicides in surface waters in the Gdańsk region.