Issue 1, 2010

Stable carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis of methyl tert-butyl ether and tert-amyl methyl ether by purge and trap-gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry: Method evaluation and application

Abstract

In order to monitor the behaviour of contaminants in the aqueous environment effective enrichment techniques often have to be employed due to their low concentrations. In this work a robust and sensitive purge and trap-gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry method for carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis of fuel oxygenates in water is presented. The method evaluation included the determination of method detection limits, accuracy and reproducibility of δD and δ13C values. Lowest concentrations at which reliable δ13C values could be determined were 5 µg L−1 and 28 µg L−1 for TAME and MTBE, respectively. Stable δD values for MTBE and TAME could be achieved for concentrations as low as 25 and 50 µg L−1. Good long-term reproducibility of δ13C and δD values was obtained for all target compounds. But δD values varying more than 5‰ were observed using different thermal conversion tubes. Thus, a correction of δD values in the analysis of groundwater samples was necessary to guarantee comparability of the results. The applicability of this method was shown by the analysis of groundwater samples from a gasoline contaminated site. By two dimensional isotope analysis two locations within this site were identified at which anaerobic and aerobic degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether occurred.

Graphical abstract: Stable carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis of methyl tert-butyl ether and tert-amyl methyl ether by purge and trap-gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry: Method evaluation and application

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Jul 2009
Accepted
30 Oct 2009
First published
20 Nov 2009

J. Environ. Monit., 2010,12, 347-354

Stable carbon and hydrogen isotope analysis of methyl tert-butyl ether and tert-amyl methyl ether by purge and trap-gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry: Method evaluation and application

D. M. Kujawinski, M. Stephan, M. A. Jochmann, K. Krajenke, J. Haas and T. C. Schmidt, J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 347 DOI: 10.1039/B914514A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements