INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY HYPHENATED TO CAPILLARY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY AS A DETECTION SYSTEM FOR THE SPECIATION ANALYSIS OF ORGANOLEAD COMPOUNDS IN ENVIRONMENTAL WATERS

The application of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry det ection system to the speciation of organolead compounds in environment al waters is described. Derivatization was carried out by propylation with a Grignard reagent after extraction of the organolead compounds i nto hexane as their diethyldithiocarbamate complexes. This was followe d by separation and detection with capillary gas chromatography and in ductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Detection limits ranging f rom 10 fg (0.05 ng l(-1)) (as Pb) for trimethyllead to 16 fg (0.08 ng l(-1)) (as Ph) for diethyllead were achieved. The accuracy of the meth od was confirmed by additional analysis of the water samples with capi llary gas chromatography coupled to microwave-induced plasma atomic em ission spectrometry and by the analysis of a reference material from t he Standards, Measurements & Testing Programme of the European Union.