ACCELERATED SOLVENT-EXTRACTION OF SEMIVOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS FROMBIOMONITORING SAMPLES OF PINE NEEDLES AND MOSSES

Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was used for the simultaneous ext raction of semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) including chlorobenze nes (1,2,3,4-tetra-, penta-, hexachlorobenzene),HCH isomers (alpha-, b eta-, gamma-, delta- epsilon-HCH), DDX (p,p'-DDT, -DDE, -DDD), PCB con geners (28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180), and PAHs (phenanthrene, anthracen e, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene) from mosses (Pleurozium schre beri) growing in regional locations (central Germany) and pine needles (Pinus sylvestris L,) from southern Russia (near the Caspian Sea). Th e results were compared with those obtained by ultrasonic extraction ( USE), Using mixed moss samples (thorough cleanup, only minor interfere nce during GC/MSD analysis) from one location mainly served to optimiz e two parameters, extraction solvent and temperature, The most favorab le extraction conditions proved to be n-hexane as the extraction solve nt, two temperature stages of 40 and 120 degrees C, a pressure of 15 M Pa, and three static cycles in each case. These conditions were then a pplied to the extraction of SOCs from the wax and the inner pine needl e fraction, which beforehand had undergone extractive separation with dichloromethane, ASE was found to be especially advantageous in the ca se of higher multiple exposures to pollutants and the resultant compli cated matrixes (oleiferous extracts, pollutant/matrix conjugates). Owi ng to the much better separation of analyte/matrix, in many cases incr eases of 1-2 orders of magnitude were obtained in the analytical value s of the contaminated sample materials compared to those obtained with USE.