ANALYSIS OF EXTRACTABLE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN WATER BY TWO STAGE MEMBRANE INTRODUCTION MASS SPECTROMETRY

The proposed effort will investigate the effectiveness of using a dual stage membrane proble coupled to a Finnigan Magnum Ion Trap mass spectrometer for the direct analysis of extractable organic compounds in water. The proposed system will be able to detect trace levels of organic compounds in water in less than five minutes with no sample pre-treatment or extraction of the analytes from the water matrix. The proposed instrument is an innovative modification of membrane introduction mass spectrometry systems that have recently proved successful in the analysis of volatile organics directly from water in the part per trillion range. Three membrane pairs will be investigated for their performance in the proposed system. A complex solution containing environmentally significant organic compounds including PAH's, PCB's, and pesticides, amines, and volatile organics in water will be analyzed by the proposed membrane systems. The experiments will provide the groundwork for future studies that will ultimately result in the design and construction of a commercial instrument geared toward environmental analysis in fixed site laboratories, mobile test units, and industrial process monitors.