Comparison of several solid-phase extraction sorbents for continuous determination of amines in water by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A semiautomatic method has been proposed for the determination of different types of amines in water samples including anilines, chloroanilines, N-nitrosamines and aliphatic amines. The analytes were retained on a solid-phase extraction sorbent column and after elution, 1 μL of the extract was analysed by gas chromatography coupled with electron impact ionization mass spectrometry. A systematic overview is given of the advantages and disadvantages of several sorbents (LiChrolut EN, Oasis HLB, RP-C18, graphitized carbon black, fullerenes and nanotubes) in the retention of amine compounds and based on sensitivity, selectivity and reliability. The retention efficiency for the studied amines was higher (ca. 100%) with LiChrolut EN and Oasis HLB than it was with RP-C18 and fullerenes (53 and 62%, respectively, on average). Detection limits of 0.5–16 ng L−1 for the 27 amines studied were obtained when using a sorbent column containing 75 mg of LiChrolut EN for 100 mL of sample, the RSD being lower than 6.5%. The method was applied with good accuracy and precision in the determination of amines in various types of water including river, pond, tap, well, drinking, swimming pool and waste.