Issue 4, 2008
From the journal:

Journal of Environmental Monitoring

Simplified determination of lipophilic metabolites of nonylphenol ethoxylates: method development and application in aqueous samples from Buenos Aires, Argentina†‡

Paola A. Babay,*a   Emiliano E. Romero Ale,a   Raúl F. Itria,b   Elena T. Becquart,a   Björn Thielec  and  Daniel A. Batistonia  

* Corresponding authors

a Gerencia de Química, Centro Atómico Constituyentes, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. General Paz 1499, San Martín, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
E-mail: babay@cnea.gov.ar
Fax: +54-11-6772-7886

b Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Ingeniería Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial, Av. General Paz 5445, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina

c Institute for Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere, ICG-3: Phytosphere / BioSpec, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

Abstract

In the present work we have developed an analytical methodology for the determination of nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol mono- and di-ethoxylates (NP1EO and NP2EO) in water samples. The applicability of this methodology was proved by means of the analysis of environmentally relevant aqueous samples from Buenos Aires. This constitutes a starting point for a rigorous assessment of the incidence of NPnEO surfactants in Argentina, as only very few, qualitative or semi-quantitative data on the occurrence of these compounds in local systems were available up to this time. Enrichment of the analytes was carried out by solid-phase extraction on a C-18 sorbent, followed by elution with ethyl acetate. Normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography on an amino-silica column and fluorescence detection at excitation-emission wavelengths of 230–300 nm were employed for separation and quantification of the analytes. Confirmation of peak assignment in selected real samples was performed by off-line coupling HPLC with GC-MS analysis. A non-polar GC capillary column was used, and a characteristic peak pattern was obtained for the alkyl chain isomers of each ethoxylated homologue and NP. GC-MS analyses yielded in all cases purity levels higher than 80% for the HPLC collected fractions. The elevated concentrations found for the estrogenic metabolites of NPnEO are in accordance with an unrestricted use of this class of non-ionic surfactants in the country.

Graphical abstract: Simplified determination of lipophilic metabolites of nonylphenol ethoxylates: method development and application in aqueous samples from Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B717942A
Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Nov 2007
Accepted
05 Feb 2008
First published
28 Feb 2008

J. Environ. Monit., 2008,10, 443-452

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Simplified determination of lipophilic metabolites of nonylphenol ethoxylates: method development and application in aqueous samples from Buenos Aires, Argentina

P. A. Babay, E. E. Romero Ale, R. F. Itria, E. T. Becquart, B. Thiele and D. A. Batistoni, J. Environ. Monit., 2008, 10, 443 DOI: 10.1039/B717942A

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