Environmental analysis organophosphorus compounds

Several successful applications of fused-core columns for the analysis of emerging contaminants in environmental samples are described in the literature, including the analysis of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in wastewater [13], personal care products (PCPs antimicrobials, preservatives), benzotriazole UV stabilizers and organophosphorus compounds in fish tissue [14], sulphonamide antibiotics in fish [15],... 

The HPLC/MS technique used in EPA Method 8321 is best suited for analysis of thermally unstable compounds that are hard to analyze with conventional GC methods, such as organophosphorus pesticides, chlorinated herbicides, and carbamates. In this technique, the detection with mass spectrometry provides the ultimate selectivity. The sensitivity for each individual compound depends on the interferences in a given environmental matrix and on the chemical nature of the analyte. 

The popularity of the BCD can be attributed to the high sensitivity to organohalogen compounds, which include many compounds of environmental interest, including polychlorinated biphenyls and pesticides. It is the least selective of the so-called selective detectors but has the highest sensitivity of any contemporary detector. The NPD or thermionic ionization or emission detector is a modified FID in which a constant supply of an alkali metal salt, such as rubidium chloride, is introduced into the flame. It is a detector of choice for analysis of organophosphorus pesticides and pharmaceuticals. The FPD detects specific luminescent emission originating from various excited state species produced in a flame by sulfur- and phosphorus-containing compounds. 

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