WIDE-SCOPE SCREENING OF ILLICIT DRUGS IN URBAN WASTEWATER BY UHPLC-QTOF MS

WIDE-SCOPE SCREENING OF ILLICIT DRUGS IN URBAN WASTEWATER BY UHPLC-QTOF MS 

FELIX HERNANDEZ, JUAN V. SANCHO, and LUBERTUS BIJLSMA 

For a wide-scope screening in environmental MS using TOF instruments, two alternatives can typically be applied (Hemdndez et al., 2005a Ibdnez et al., 2008)  

Nontarget screening— where compounds eluting from the chromatographic column may be detected and subsequently identified without any kind of previous selection. Here, the analyst is searching for actual unknown compounds, as no previous information about the compounds to be investigated is taken into account. 

In this chapter, the potential of QTOF MS combined with ultiahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) for screening and confirmation of illicit drugs in wastewater is illustrated. The work is focused on the applicability of the post-target approach, which, from the authors point of view, is the most relevant application when using TOF in environmental MS. 

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