DETERMINATION OF AROMATIC-AMINES AT TRACE LEVELS BY DERIVATIZATION WITH HEPTAFLUOROBUTYRIC ANHYDRIDE AND GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY ELECTRON-CAPTURE NEGATIVE-ION CHEMICAL-IONIZATION MASS-SPECTROMETRY

A procedure for the simultaneous identification of seventy-three prima ry and secondary aromatic amines (including alkyl-, chloro- and nitro- substituted anilines, benzidines, aminonaphtalenes and aminobiphenyls) is described. The amines were derivatized by reaction with heptafluor obutyric anhydride to form the corresponding heptafluorobutyramides. T he electrophoric derivatives were analyzed by gas chromatography combi ned with electron-capture negative-ion chemical ionization mass spectr ometry. Linearity was satisfactory for all the compounds examined. Det ection limits were in the range 0.3-66.3 pg injected in the full-scan acquisition mode and 0.01-0.57 pg injected in the selected ion monitor ing acquisition mode. Application of the procedure to contaminated gro undwater samples was also attempted.