Ion-exchange electrospray ionization liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry of alkanolamines in wetland vegetation exposed to sour-gas contaminated groundwater

Etectrospray ionization with ion-exchange liquid chromatography mass spectr ometry was used for the determination of selected alkanolamines in wetland vegetation exposed to sour-gas contaminated groundwater, Analytes were dete rmined using filtered water extracts of the vegetation with no further clea nup, preconcentration or derivatization steps, Quantification was performed using either selected ion monitoring of the protonated molecular ions (MH) or the loss of water transition in product ion scans. Confirmations were based on comparison of the respective product ion scans with authentic stan dards. Instrumental detection limits were attainable in the picogram range (20-40 pg) for diisopropanolamine (DIPA), monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, methyldiethanolamine and triethanolamine, Successful application of the pr ocedure is demonstrated for the determination of DIPA in over 50 samples, c ollected from a sour-gas contaminated wetland and a control site. For roots , shoots, berries, seeds, grasses and leaves, the recovery was 90 +/- 25 % relative standard deviation (RSD) with a detection limit of 20 ng/g, In gen eral, the technique was rugged (based on a study period of 18 months in whi ch over 175 runs were conducted), relatively fast (similar to 25 min per sa mple For a batch of 10 samples) and gave detection limits a factor of 5 low er than a conventional ion chromatography method. Copyright (C) 1999 John W iley & Sons, Ltd.