Determination of Phenyltin Compounds by Reversed-phase Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

An analytical procedure for the determination of phenyltin compounds in environmental sample waters was studied. Chromatography of mono-, di- tri-phenyltin (MPT, DPT and TPT) was performed on a reversed-phase C18column with the mobile phase comprising methanol/10-2M H3PO4(80:20 v/v) at pH 3 and UV detection at 214 nm. To enhance the sensitivity of the detection system, the postcolumn reaction between morin or 3-hydroxyflavone and phenyltin compounds was formed before fluorescence detection. Several parameters affecting the fluorescence intensity were studied systematically, including the optimum condition for the post-column reagent that was also compatible with the eluent. The parameters concerned in this study were the pH, the percentage of Triton X-100, the ratio of fluorigenic reagent to phenyltin compounds and the amount of methanol in the eluent. Detection limits before the preconcentration process were in the region of 1.5 ppb for TPT and 150-250 ppb for MPT and DPT, respectively. Utilizing solid-phase extraction on a C18cartridge for sample clean-up as well as preconcentration successfully reduced the detection limit of TPT to the level of ng dm-3and can be applied to seawater analysis. Recovery in the range 95.0-98.0% was obtained by developing the optimum elution profile in the preconcentration step. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.