Ambient Headspace GC and GC-MSD analysis of non-polar volatiles in water is described. Ambient Headspace is an ideal method for prescreening samples prior to purge and trap (P&T) analysis. Instrumenta- tion is protected from high level conta- minants and rework is reduced. The nature of the technique also makes it attractive for high sample volume appli- cations, such as monitoring of process water in food/beverage manufacturing.
Ambient headspace is presented as an ideal prescreening technique for samples prior to purge and trap (P&T) analysis. This method protects instrumentation from high-level contaminants, reduces rework, and increases lab productivity by determining approximate analyte concentrations before full analysis.
The document details a specific evaluation of the ambient headspace method on various instrument configurations including GC-FID, GC-micro ECD, GC-AED, and GC-MSD. It covers sample preparation procedures, specific instrument conditions for different detectors, and data analysis techniques such as retention time locking (RTL) to ensure accurate compound identification.
This technique serves as an ideal method for prescreening samples before purge and trap (P&T) analysis to protect instrumentation from high-level contaminants.
The method analyzes non-polar volatiles such as trihalomethanes formed by chlorine reactions, industrial solvents like benzene, and methyl tertiary butyl ether.
The critical sampling depth parameter must be set to 20 mm to ensure the needle draws from the headspace rather than the water.