Environmental Analysis

Our interviews with separation science experts in specific application areas, such as environmental, food, forensics, and pharmaceutical analysis, have provided the LCGC audience with insights into what's going on in those fields. Here, we have excerpted several recent interviews that were published in our application-focused newsletters and our digital magazine, The Column.

In the first of a two-part Q&A The Column spoke to Paul A. Sutton, a research fellow in the Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry Group (PEGG) at Plymouth University (Plymouth, UK), about the analysis of crude oil and how high temperature gas chromatography can be used to save millions of dollars for the oil industry.

Chris Reddy from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution spoke to LCGC about the role of chromatography in the ongoing environmental analysis of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, how comprehensive GCXGC works in practice, and why this oil spill led to the return of thin layer chromatography (TLC) to his laboratory.

This article presents GC–GC(qMSMS) data on the analysis and quantitation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a complex matrix (fly ash). Calibration curves were recorded between 0.1 pg and 100 pg.

LCGC recently spoke with Edward T. Furlong of the Methods Research and Development Program at the National Water Quality Laboratory with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) about his group's work on developing new methods to detect pharmaceutical contaminants in waterways.

This article compares results from samples prepared and analyzed according to EPA Method 1613B on a sector instrument with those from a high-resolution, accurate mass TOF mass spectrometer and a low-resolution TOF mass spectrometer interfaced to a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC) system (GC?C–TOF-MS).

Click here to view the full LCGC Europe E-newsletter from 28 June

Click here to view the complete E-Separation Solutions newsletter from June 25, 2013.

The European Commission has imposed a ban on three neonicortinoid pesticides within the European Union – clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiametoxam. This follows the publication of a series of reviews into the risks posed by the insecticides by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Parma, Italy, in January 2013.1,2,3 These reviews stem from the publication of numerous chromatographic studies, which suggest a link between pesticide exposure and “colony collapse disorderâ€â€“ the mysterious decline of honeybee populations.

Innovative methods to achieve high sensitivity and specific analyte identi?fication in complex environmental matrices were discussed at a recent event held at the RSC headquarters in London, UK.

LCGC spoke to Professor Andrea Tapparo, of the University of Padova (Italy) about studying honey bee decline with chromatography.

Since its introduction in 1975, ion chromatography (IC) has been used in most areas of analytical chemistry and has become a versatile and powerful technique for the analysis of a vast number of ions present in the environment. This article is a review of possible uses of IC in combination with MS detection for environmental research.

A review of possible uses of ion chromatography (IC) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) detection for environmental research

Sample clean-up using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and similar methods can sometimes be both time-consuming and expensive. The purification of complex plant extracts requires special care in particular. A robust and sensitive online SPE sample preparation method is described for the determination of steviol glycosides.

A look at the role of micro-LC–MS to reduce the environmental impact of chromatography laboratories.

This article describes the GC–MS and LC–MS screening methods developed by the Environment Agency for England and Wales for the analysis of both low-volumn water samples and extracts obtained from various designs of passive samplers.

Two examples are presented, sulfa antibiotics in water and stanazolol fragmentation, to answer the question of how much resolving power is enough for work with small molecules.

Building products used indoors in homes and offices can have a significant impact on indoor air quality (IAQ) through the emission of volatile- or semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs/SVOCs). In order to protect the health and well-being of occupants in homes and company buildings from potentially toxic emissions, EU and national regulations require that products used indoors be tested following clearly defined methods.

From sample prep to low detection levels to automation, environmental analysis provides unique challenges for analytical chemists. Participants in this Technology Forum are Kory Kelly of Phenomenex (Torrance, California) and LCGC Editorial Advisory Board member Pat Sandra of the Research Institute of Chromatography (Kortrijk, Belgium).

From sample prep to low detection levels to automation, environmental analysis provides unique challenges for analytical chemists. Participants in this Technology Forum are Kory Kelly of Phenomenex (Torrance, California) and LCGC Editorial Advisory Board member Pat Sandra of the Research Institute of Chromatography (Kortrijk, Belgium).

Shimadzu Application Note

A simple and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet (UV) detection was developed to analyse phenylurea herbicides: – monuron, diuron, linuron, metazachlor and metoxuron – in three soft drink brands and tap water.

The level of pollutants present in water bodies is most commonly judged against set environmental quality standards (EQSs) that vary among different countries.

Chromium is a naturally occurring metal that is widely used in steel making, plating, tanning, paints, dyes, and wood preservation. The most common environmental forms are trivalent Cr(III), hexavalent Cr(VI), and the metallic form Cr.

In response to the environmental challenges during the last decades, several important laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Pollution Prevention Act have been approved.

A method has been proposed that positively identifies over 100 common pesticides using a GC column with MS detection.

EPA Method 1664, Revision A describes the determination of oil and grease from liquid (typically water) samples.

This article describes modifications to US EPA Method 218.6 for detecting dissolved hexavalent chromium in drinking water, to permit a MDL of 0.001 µg/L

This article describes a 2D matrix elimination ion chromatography method to analyse samples containing high levels of matrix ions.

In this review, practical principles and guidelines for designing LC?LC methods are given.