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A NEW SW-846 METHOD: MICRO-LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-ELECTROSPRAY/ION TRAP MASS SPECTROMETRY AS APPLIED TO THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANOTINS - METHOD 8323
Citation:
JonesLepp, T. A NEW SW-846 METHOD: MICRO-LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY-ELECTROSPRAY/ION TRAP MASS SPECTROMETRY AS APPLIED TO THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANOTINS - METHOD 8323. Presented at National Environmental Monitoring Conference (NEMC), Crystal City, VA, July 21-24, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
Provide state-of-the-science sampling, analysis, separation, and detection methods to allow rapid, accurate field and laboratory analyses of contaminated soils, sediments, biota, and groundwater to support Superfund clean-up decisions. Apply state-of-the-science methods in chemical analysis and data interpretation (e.g., mass spectral interpretation) to actual problems of OSWER, the Regions, and the States, in cooperation with the Las Vegas Technical Support Center as well as by direct contacts with Regional and State employees. Provide technical advice and guidance to OSWER using the environmental chemistry expertise (e.g., mass spectrometry, analytical methods development, clean-up methodology, inorganics, organometallics, volatile organics, non-volatile organics, semi-volatile organics, separation technologies, etc.) found within the branch.
Technical research support for various projects initiated either by Regions/Program Offices or ECB scientists. While these efforts will support the Regions and Program Offices, they cannot be predicted or planned in advance, and may serve multiple duty (e.g., solve real-world problems, serve to ground-truth analytical approaches that ECB is developing, transfer new technology). Many of the activities in this task support requests involving enforcement decisions and therefore are categorized as "environmental forensics".
Description:
There is a growing body of evidence that humans and other animals (terrestrial and marine) are being exposed continually to potentially harmful species of organotins. One possible route of environmental exposure in the U.S. to organotins (specifically dibutyltin and triphenyltin) is via fresh surface waters. A unique methodology (developed in-house at EPA-Las Vegas) was used for specific detection (speciation) and quantitation of the organotins. Method 8323 is the one of the newest EPA SW-846 methods and is the first EPA-approved method for organotins. This green-chemistry method uses solid-phase extraction discs, coupled with @L-liquid chromatography-electrospray/ion trap mass spectrometry (u-LC-ES/ITMS) as the detection method for the determination of organotins (as cations) in waters. This technique would also be applicable to ES-quadrupole mass spectrometry (ES-MS). The following compounds can be determined: tributyltin chloride, dibutyltin dichloride, monobutyltin trichloride, triphenyltin chloride, diphenyltin dichloride, monophenyltin trichloride. Applications of this method have been directed towards detecting organotins leaching from PVC pipe, natural waters, and an industrial spill in Region 4.