PARTICLE-BEAM LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS-SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS OF HAZARDOUS AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL-CHEMICALS

Particle-beam liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (PB-LC/MS) has b een used for the determination of several classes of compounds that ar e not easily analysed using gas chromatography, The compounds studied were either of low volatility (isocyanate derivatives), thermally unst able (phenylurea herbicides) or highly polar (phenoxyacetic acid herbi cides), PB-LC/MS was found to be suitable for the analysis of these co mpounds and gave library searchable electron impact mass spectra for a range of samples in various matrices (soil, vegetation, filter (air) and concentrate), An advantage of PB-LC/MS, compared with GC/MS, was t hat the extracts could be run immediately on the LC system (no pre or post work-up derivitization necessary), The post-column addition of al cohols and their effect on PB-LC/MS response was also investigated. An increase in response was found for the series, no additives < methano l < ethanol < propanol = butanol, but pentanol showed a decreased resp onse compared with butanol. (C) Crown Copyright 1997.