DETERMINATION OF HYDROXY-SUBSTITUTED POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONSBY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY WITH ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION

Conditions were established for the determination of hydroxy-substitut ed polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (hydroxy-PAHs) using high-perform ance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Reversed-ph ase chromatography with methanol-aqueous phosphate buffer (pH 3.0) (50 :50) was adopted for the separation of the hydroxy-PAHs. The figures o f merit were calculated; the detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio = 2:1) ranged from 20 to 200 pg. The method was applied to the determin ation of these compounds in an aerosol sample and 5-hydroxyindane, 2-h ydroxy-9-fluorenone and 2-nitro-1-naphthol were tentatively identified at the pg/m(3) level. The presence of 2-nitro-1-naphthol (0.2 ng/m(3) ) was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.