USE OF OFF-LINE GEL-PERMEATION CHROMATOGRAPHY NORMAL-PHASE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR THE DETERMINATION OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC-COMPOUNDS IN ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES AND STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS (AIR PARTICULATE MATTER AND MARINE SEDIMENT)

A method involving two levels of fractionation, semi-preparative gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and normal-phase liquid chromatography (NP-LC), and capillary gas chromatography with flame ionization and nitrogen-phosphorus detection coupled with mass spectrometry, was developed for the determination of polar substituted aromatic compounds (PACs) in environmental matrices. A GPC clean-up procedure (BioBeads SX-12-dichloromethane) efficiently removed lipidic matter from organic extracts, yielding an enriched PAC fraction. NP-LC (muPorasil) of that fraction provided a selectivity based on chemical classes and moderate to high recoveries for standard PAC. The application of this method to environmental samples and reference materials, air particulate matter (NIST 1649) and marine sediment (HS-4), demonstrated the validity of the procedure for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from both qualitative and quantitative points of view. Further, a variety of aromatic ketones, quinones and aldehydes (oxy-PAHs) were determined in both matrices.