Determination of herbicides and their degradation products in surface waters by gas chromatography/positive chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry
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A method for the determination of trace levels of silicon from biological materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been developed. The volatility of water-soluble silicon species, hexafluorosilicic acid (H 2 SiF 6 ), and sodium metasilicate (Na 2 SiO 3 ) was investigated by evaporating respective solutions (50 µg/mL silicon) in nitric acid (HNO 3 ), nitric acid + hydrochloric acid (HNO 3 + HCl), and nitric acid + hydrochloric acid + hydrofluoric acid (HNO 3 + HCl + HF) at 120 °C on a hot-block to near dryness. The loss of silicon from H 2 SiF 6 solutions was substantial (>99%) regardless of the digestion medium. Losses were also substantial (>98%) for metasilicate solutions heated in HNO 3 + HCl + HF, while no significant loss occurred in HNO 3 or HNO 3 + HCl. These results show that H 2 SiF 6 species were highly volatile and potential losses could confound accuracy at trace level determinations by ICP-MS if digestates prepared in HF are heated to eliminate HF. Among the various matrices comprising major elements, sodium appeared to be effective in reducing silicon loss from H 2 SiF 6 solutions. Excess sodium chloride (NaCl) matrix provided better stability, improving silicon recoveries by up to about 80% in evaporated HF digestates of soil and mine waste samples, but losses could not be fully prevented. To safely remove excess acids and circumvent the adverse effects of excess HF (e.g., risk of high Si background signals), a two-step digestion scheme was adopted for the preparation of biological samples containing trace silicon levels. A closed-vessel digestion was performed either in 4 mL of concentrated HNO 3 and 1 mL of concentrated HCl or 4 mL of concentrated HNO 3 , 1 mL of concentrated HCl and 1 mL of concentrated HClO 4 on a hot plate at 140 °C. Digestates were then evaporated to incipient dryness at 120 °C to remove the acids. A second closed-vessel digestion was carried out to dissolve silicates in 0.5 mL of concentrated HNO 3 and 0.5 mL of concentrated HF at 130 °C. After digestion, digestates were diluted to 10 mL. The solution containing about 5% HNO 3 and 5% HF was directly analyzed by ICP-MS equipped with an HF-inert sample introduction system. The limit of detection was about 110 µg/L for 28 Si when using the Kinetic Energy Discrimination (KED) mode. The method was used to determine silicon in various plant and tissue certified reference materials. Data were acquired for 28 Si using KED and standard (STD) modes, and 74 Ge and 103 Rh as internal standard elements. There was not any significant difference between the accuracy and precision of the results obtained with 74 Ge and 103 Rh within the same measurement mode. Precision, calculated as relative standard deviation for four replicate analyses, varied from 5.3 (tomato leaves) to 21% (peach leaves) for plant and from 2.2 (oyster tissue) to 33% (bovine liver) for tissue SRM/CRMs. Poor precision was attributed to material heterogeneity and the large particle size distribution. An analysis of lung tissue samples from those with occupational exposure to silica dust revealed that tissues possessed substantial levels of water-soluble silicates, but the most silicon was present in the particulate matter fraction.
Complex sample matrices of estuarine biota tissue and bed sediment extracts were analyzed for selected chlorinated compounds. By using gas chromatography/positive chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry, the coeluting interferences present in gas chromatography/electron ionization mass spectrometry were eliminated in the biota tissue and bed sediment extracts. The selected chlorinated compounds included chlorobenzene; 1,2‐, 1,3‐ and 1,4‐dichlorobenzene; 1,2,3‐, 1,2,4‐ and 1,3,5‐trichlorobenzene; 1,2,3,4‐, 1,2,3,5‐ and 1,2,4,5‐tetrachlorobenzene; pentachlorobenzene; hexachlorobenzene; hexachloro‐1,3‐butadiene; octachlorostyrene; and octachloronaphthalene. Daughter ion spectra for these compounds are included. The detection limit for most of the compounds was 20 pg, and the instrument response was linear over five orders of magnitude, by using 13 C‐labelled hexachlorobenzene as the internal standard.
Five polychlorinated biphenyl replacement dye solvents and a diluent present in carbonless copy paper were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in the following matrices: effluents from a de-inking–recycling paper mill and a municipal wastewater treatment plant receiving wastewaters from a carbonless copy paper manufacturing plant; sediments; and fish collected near both discharges in the Fox River System, Wisconsin. An isopropylbiphenyl dye solvent mixture included mono-, di- and triisopropylbiphenyls. Also identified were two dye solvent mixtures marketed under the trade name Santosol. Santosol 100 comprised ethyl-diphenylmethanes (DPMs), benzyl-ethyl-DPMs, and dibenzyl-ethyl-DPMs. Similarly, Santosol 150 comprised dimethyl-DPMs, benzyl-dimethyl-DPMs, and dibenzyl-dimethyl-DPMs. Diisopropylnaphthalenes, widely used as a dye solvent in Japan, were identified for the first time in the US environment. sec -Butylbiphenyls and di- sec -butylbiphenyls, likely constituents of a sec -butylbiphenyl dye solvent mixture, were tentatively identified. Linear alkyl benzenes (C 10 to C 13 -LABs) constituted the Alkylate 215 diluent mixture. Although known to occur as minor constituents in linear alkyl sulfonate detergents, LAB residues have not been previously attributed to commercial use of LABs.
The H2-H2O ambient-temperature equilibration technique for the determination of 2H/1H ratios in urinary waters from diabetic subjects provides improved accuracy over the conventional Zn reduction technique. The standard deviation, ~ 1-2???, is at least a factor of three better than that of the Zn reduction technique on urinary waters from diabetic volunteers. Experiments with pure water and solutions containing glucose, urea and albumen indicate that there is no measurable bias in the hydrogen equilibration technique.The H2-H2O ambient-temperature equilibration technique for the determination of 2H/1H ratios in urinary waters from diabetic subjects provides improved accuracy over the conventional Zn reduction technique. The standard deviation, approximately 1-2%, is at least a factor of three better than that of the Zn reduction technique on urinary waters from diabetic volunteers. Experiments with pure water and solutions containing glucose, urea and albumen indicate that there is no measurable bias in the hydrogen equilibration technique.
A rapid method for identifying specific bacteria from complex biological mixtures using immunomagnetic separation coupled to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been developed. The technique employs commercially available magnetic beads coated with polycolonal antibodies raised against specific bacteria and whole cell analysis by MALDI-MS. A suspension of a bacterial mixture is mixed with the immunomagnetic beads specific for the target microorganism. After a short incubation period (20 mins) the bacteria captured by the beads are washed, resuspended in deionized H2O and directly applied onto a MALDI probe. Liquid suspensions containing bacterial mixtures can be screened within 1 h total analysis time. Positive tests result in the production of a fingerprint mass spectrum primarily consisting of protein biomarkers characteristic of the targeted microorganism. Using this procedure, Salmonella choleraesuis was isolated and detected from standard bacterial mixtures and spiked samples of river water, human urine, and chicken blood. Copyright ?? 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Strontium isotope ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) in otoliths are a well-established tool to determine origins and movement patterns of fish. However, otolith extraction requires sacrificing fish, and when working with protected or endangered species, the use of nonlethal samples such as scales, spines, and fin rays is preferred. Unlike otoliths that are predominantly aragonite, these tissues are composed of biological apatite. Laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) analysis of biological apatite can induce significant interference on mass 87, causing inaccurate 87 Sr/ 86 Sr measurements. To quantify this interference, we applied LA-MC-ICP-MS to three marine samples (white seabass ( Atractoscion nobilis ) otolith; green sturgeon ( Acipenser medirostris ) pectoral fin ray; salmon shark ( Lamna ditropis ) tooth), and freshwater walleye ( Sander vitreus ) otoliths, scales, and spines). Instrument conditions that maximize signal intensity resulted in elevated 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotope ratios in the bioapatite samples, related to a polyatomic interference ( 40 Ca 31 P 16 O, 40 Ar 31 P 16 O). Retuning instrument conditions to reduce oxide levels removed this interference, resulting in accurate 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios across all tissue samples. This method provides a novel, nonlethal alternative to otolith analysis to reconstruct fish life histories.
Answers to many questions in Earth science require chemical analysis of minute volumes of minerals, volcanic glass, or biological materials. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is an extremely sensitive analytical method in which a 5–30 micrometer diameter "primary" beam of charged particles (ions) is focused on a region of a solid specimen to sputter secondary ions from 1–5 nanograms of the sample under high vacuum. The elemental abundances and isotopic ratios of these secondary ions are determined with a mass spectrometer. These results can be used for geochronology to determine the age of a region within a crystal thousands to billions of years old or to precisely measure trace abundances of chemical elements at concentrations as low as parts per billion. A partnership of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Stanford University School of Earth Sciences operates a large SIMS instrument, the Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe with Reverse Geometry (SHRIMP–RG) on the Stanford campus.
The use of isotopes to understand the behavior of metals in geological, hydrological, and biological systems has rapidly expanded in recent years. One of the mass spectrometric techniques used to analyze metal isotopes is thermal ionization mass spectrometry, or TIMS. While TIMS has been a useful analytical technique for the measurement of isotopic composition for decades and TIMS instruments are widely distributed, there are significant difficulties associated with using TIMS to analyze isotopes of the lighter alkaline earth elements and transition metals. Overcoming these difficulties to produce relatively long-lived and stable ion beams from microgram-sized samples is a non-trivial task. We focus here on TIMS analysis of three geologically and environmentally important elements (Fe, Cr, and Ca) and present an in-depth look at several key aspects that we feel have the greatest potential to trouble new users. Our discussion includes accessible descriptions of different analytical approaches and issues, including filament loading procedures, collector cup configurations, peak shapes and interferences, and the use of isotopic double spikes and related error estimation. Building on previous work, we present quantitative simulations, applied specifically in this study to Fe and Ca, that explore the effects of (1) time-variable evaporation of isotopically homogeneous spots from a filament and (2) interferences on the isotope ratios derived from a double spike subtraction routine. We discuss how and to what extent interferences at spike masses, as well as at other measured masses, affect the double spike-subtracted isotope ratio of interest (44Ca/40Ca in the case presented, though a similar analysis can be used to evaluate 56Fe/54Fe and 53Cr/52Cr). The conclusions of these simulations are neither intuitive nor immediately obvious, making this examination useful for those who are developing new methodologies. While all simulations are carried out in the context of a specific isotope system, it should be noted that the same methods can be used to evaluate any isotope system of interest. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.
We describe a new chemical separation method to isolate Ca from other matrix elements in biological samples, developed with the long-term goal of making high-precision measurement of natural stable Ca isotope variations a clinically applicable tool to assess bone mineral balance. A new two-column procedure utilizing HBr achieves the purity required to accurately and precisely measure two Ca isotope ratios ( 44 Ca/ 42 Ca and 44 Ca/ 43 Ca) on a Neptune multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICPMS) in urine. Purification requirements for Sr, Ti, and K (Ca/Sr > 10000; Ca/Ti > 10000000; and Ca/K > 10) were determined by addition of these elements to Ca standards of known isotopic composition. Accuracy was determined by (1) comparing Ca isotope results for samples and standards to published data obtained using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), (2) adding a Ca standard of known isotopic composition to a urine sample purified of Ca, and (3) analyzing mixtures of urine samples and standards in varying proportions. The accuracy and precision of δ 44/42 Ca measurements of purified samples containing 25 μg of Ca can be determined with typical errors less than ±0.2‰ (2σ).
Many fishes are hypothesized to use bile acids (BAs) as chemical cues, yet quantification of BAs in biological samples and the required methods remain limited. Here, we present an UHPLC–MS/MS method for simultaneous, sensitive, and rapid quantification of 15 BAs, including free, taurine, and glycine conjugated BAs, and application of the method to fecal samples from lake charr ( Salvelinus namaycush ). The analytes were separated on a C 18 column with acetonitrile–water (containing 7.5 mM ammonium acetate and 0.1% formic acid) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.25 mL/min for 12 min. BAs were monitored with a negative electrospray triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Xevo TQ-S™). Calibration curves of 15 BAs were linear over the concentration range of 1.00–5,000 ng/mL. Validation revealed that the method was specific, accurate, and precise. The method was applied to quantitative analysis of feces extract of fry lake charr and the food they were eating. The concentrations of analytes CA, TCDCA, TCA, and CDCA were 242.3, 81.2, 60.7, and 36.2 ng/mg, respectively. However, other taurine conjugated BAs, TUDCA, TDCA, and THDCA, were not detected in feces of lake charr. Interestingly, TCA and TCDCA were detected at high concentrations in food pellets, at 71.9 and 38.2 ng/mg, respectively. Application of the method to feces samples from lake charr supported a role of BAs as chemical cues, and will enhance further investigation of BAs as chemical cues in other fish species.
Recent advances in mass spectrometry have allowed isotope scientists to precisely determine stable isotope variations in the metallic elements. Biologically infl uenced and truly inorganic isotope fractionation processes have been demonstrated over the mass range of metals. This Elements issue provides an overview of the application of metal stable isotopes to low-temperature systems, which extend across the borders of several science disciplines: geology, hydrology, biology, environmental science, and biomedicine. Information on instrumentation, fractionation processes, data-reporting terminology, and reference materials presented here will help the reader to better understand this rapidly evolving field.
Elevated non-volatile dissolved organic carbon (NVDOC) concentrations in groundwater monitoring wells under oil-contaminated hydrophobic soils originating from a pipeline rupture at the National Crude Oil Spill & Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, MN are documented.. We hypothesized the elevated NVDOC is comprised of water-soluble photooxidation products transported from the surface to the aquifer. We use field and laboratory samples in combination with complementary analytical methods to test this hypothesis and determine the biological response to these products. Observations from optical spectroscopy and ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry reveal a significant correlation between the chemical composition of NVDOC leached from photochemically weathered soils and groundwater monitoring wells with high NVDOC concentrations measured in the aquifer beneath the contaminated soil. Conversely, the chemical composition from the uncontaminated soil photoleachate, matches the NVDOC observed in the uncontaminated wells. Contaminated groundwater and photodissolution leachates from contaminated soil activated biological targets indicative of xenobiotic metabolism and exhibited potential for adverse effects. Newly formed hydrocarbon oxidation products (HOPs) from fresh oil could be distinguished from those downgradient. This study illustrates another pathway for dissolved HOPs to infiltrate groundwater and potentially affect human health and the environment.
The widespread application of pesticides in agricultural and urban areas leads to their presence in surface waters. Presence of these biologically active chemicals in environmental waters potentially has adverse effects on nontarget organisms. To better understand the environmental fate of these contaminants, a robust method to capture chemicals with wide-ranging physicochemical properties has been developed. The method was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory to monitor pesticides, pesticide degradates, and other agrochemicals in environmental surface waters throughout the country. The analysis involves a multiresidue method to determine 183 pesticides and pesticide degradates in filtered water samples and 178 pesticides and pesticide degradates in paired suspended sediment samples. After the filtration of whole water, contaminants are individually measured in the filtered water and the collected suspended sediment. Filtered water is extracted via solid-phase extraction, whereas suspended sediment is extracted using an ultrasonication, solid-liquid extraction. Samples are analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using an electrospray ionization source in positive and negative modes and analyzed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using an advanced electron ionization source in positive mode. Instrument parameters were optimized for the highest sensitivity, and at least two transitions (quantifier and qualifier) were monitored for each analyte. Recoveries in test filtered water ( n =9; 183 analytes) from the American River, California, and suspended sediment ( n =9; 178 analytes) samples fortified at 15 nanograms per liter (ng/L) ranged from 70.1 to 121.0 and 71.1 to 117.0 percent in water and suspended sediment filter samples, respectively. Method detection limits of pesticides and pesticide degradates ranged from 0.5 to 10.6 ng/L in water and 0.7 to 11.8 ng/L in suspended sediment filters. Reporting limits were 1.1–21.1 ng/L and 1.5–23.7 ng/L in water and filter samples, respectively. The developed method is applied to surface-water samples for the analysis of pesticides, pesticide degradates, and other agrochemicals.
Balance (isoxaflutole, IXF) belongs to a new family of herbicides referred to as isoxazoles. IXF has a very short soil half-life (<24 h), degrading to a biologically active diketonitrile (DKN) metabolite that is more polar and considerably more stable. Further degradation of the DKN metabolite produces a nonbiologically active benzoic acid (BA) metabolite. Analytical methods using solid phase extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography−UV (HPLC-UV) or high-performance liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) were developed for the analysis of IXF and its metabolites in distilled deionized water and ground water samples. To successfully detect and quantify the BA metabolite by HPLC-UV from ground water samples, a sequential elution scheme was necessary. Using HPLC-UV, the mean recoveries from sequential elution of the parent and its two metabolites from fortified ground water samples ranged from 68.6 to 101.4%. For HPLC-MS, solid phase extraction of ground water samples was performed using a polystyrene divinylbenzene polymer resin. The mean HPLC-MS recoveries of the three compounds from ground water samples spiked at 0.05−2 μg/L ranged from 100.9 to 110.3%. The limits of quantitation for HPLC-UV are approximately 150 ng/L for IXF, 100 ng/L for DKN, and 250 ng/L for BA. The limit of quantitation by HPLC-MS is 50 ng/L for each compound. The methods developed in this work can be applied to determine the transport and fate of Balance in the environment.
"RATIONALE: Because of the paucity of isotopic reference waters for daily use, a new secondary isotopic reference material has been prepared from Lake Louise water from Alberta, Canada for international distribution. MOTHODS: This water was filtered, homogenized, loaded into glass ampoules, sealed with a torch, autoclaved to eliminate biological activity, and measured by dual-inlet isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. This isotopic reference water is available by the case of 144 glass ampoules containing 5 mL of water in each ampoule. RESULTS: The δ2H and δ18O values of this reference water are –150.2 ± 0.5 ‰ and –19.80 ± 0.02 ‰, respectively, relative to VSMOW on scales normalized such that the δ2H and δ18O values of SLAP reference water are, respectively, –428 and –55.5 ‰. Each uncertainty is an estimated expanded uncertainty (U = 2uc) about the reference value that provides an interval that has about a 95-percent probability of encompassing the true value. CONCLUSION: This isotopic reference material, designated as USGS47, is intended as one of two isotopic reference waters for daily normalization of stable hydrogen and stable oxygen isotopic analysis of water with a mass spectrometer or a laser absorption spectrometer. "
RATIONALE As a result of the scarcity of isotopic reference waters for daily use, a new secondary isotopic reference material for international distribution has been prepared from drinking water collected from the Biscayne aquifer in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. METHODS This isotopic reference water was filtered, homogenized, loaded into glass ampoules, sealed with a torch, autoclaved to eliminate biological activity, and measured by dual-inlet isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. This reference material is available by the case of 144 glass ampoules containing either 4 mL or 5 mL of water in each ampoule. RESULTS The δ 2 H and δ 18 O values of this reference material are –10.3 ± 0.4 ‰ and –2.238 ± 0.011 ‰, respectively, relative to VSMOW, on scales normalized such that the δ 2 H and δ 18 O values of SLAP reference water are, respectively, –428 and –55.5 ‰. Each uncertainty is an estimated expanded uncertainty ( U  = 2 u c ) about the reference value that provides an interval that has about a 95 % probability of encompassing the true value. CONCLUSIONS This isotopic reference material, designated as USGS45, is intended as one of two isotopic reference waters for daily normalization of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic analysis of water with an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer or a laser absorption spectrometer.
Rationale As a result of the need for isotopic reference waters having high δ 2 H VSMOW-SLAP and δ 18 O VSMOW-SLAP values for daily use, especially for tropical and equatorial-zone freshwaters, a new secondary isotopic reference material for international distribution was prepared from water collected from Lake Kyoga, Uganda. Methods This isotopic reference lakewater was filtered through a membrane with 0.2-µm pore size, homogenized, loaded into glass ampoules that were sealed with a torch and autoclaved to eliminate biological activity, and measured by dual-inlet isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. This reference material is available in a case of 144 glass ampoules each containing 5 mL of water. Results The δ 2 H and δ 18 O values of this reference material are +32.8 ± 0.4 and +4.95 ± 0.02 mUr (milliurey = 0.001 = 1 ‰), respectively, relative to VSMOW, on scales normalized such that the δ 2 H and δ 18 O values of SLAP reference water are, respectively, −428 and −55.5 mUr. Each uncertainty is an estimated expanded uncertainty ( U  = 2 u c ) about the reference value that provides an interval that has about a 95 % probability of encompassing the true value. Conclusions This isotopic reference material, designated as USGS50, is intended as one of two reference waters for daily normalization of stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopic analysis of water with an isotope-ratio mass spectrometer or a laser absorption spectrometer, of use especially for isotope-hydrology laboratories analyzing freshwater samples from equatorial and tropical regions.