Pyrrole-based conductive polymer as the solid-phase extraction medium for the preconcentration of environmental pollutants in water samples followed by gas chromatography with flame ionization and mass spectrometry detection

A pyrrole-based polymer was synthesized and applied as a new sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) of some environmental pollutants from water samples. Polypyrrole (PPy) was synthesized by chemical oxidation of the monomer in nonaqueous solution. SPE of selected phenols, pesticides, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from aqueous samples were performed using 200 mg PPy. The determination was subsequently carried out by gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The polymer showed much higher recoveries for aromatic compounds than aliphatics. Preconcentration of sample volumes up 1 l led to acceptable recoveries for aromatic and other tested polar compounds. The R.S.D. for a river water sample spiked with phenols, pesticides and PAHs at sub-ppb level was lower than 10% (n=3) and limits of detection for these compounds were between 15 and 120 ng l−1.