Selective enrichment of sulfides, thiols and methylthiophosphates from water samples on metal-loaded cation-exchange materials for gas chromatographic analysis

The suitability of using metal-loaded sorbents for solid-phase extraction to enrich organic sulfur compounds from water samples was studied. To test the retention behavior of a number of sulfides, thiols and methylthiophosphates, a cation-exchanger was loaded with various metal ions. The elution behavior of sulfur compounds was investigated with different solvents. A combination of Pb2+-modified cation-exchanger as sorbent and CS2 (1%, v/v) in toluene proved to be the most suitable approach for the given problem. Using GC with a pulsed flame photometric detector yielded detection limits of between 0.6 and 2.9 μg/l. The results showed good reproducibility with relative standard deviations of 2–11%.