SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1979
STP35017S

Quantitative Determination of Priority Pollutants—Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Response Factor Variation

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The quantitative gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy-data system technique recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for the determination of “extractable priority pollutants” in industrial effluent extracts has been evaluated. For standard solutions, the relative standard deviation (correlation coefficient) for selected priority pollutant response factors was considered as a measure of the precision of one aspect of the quantification of organic compounds in water extracts. It has been shown that for compounds similar in physical properties to the internal standard (anthracene-d10), single-level response factors can be determined at low nanogram levels with correlation coefficients as good as 1.2 percent. Data are presented that suggests that, for compounds that are “well behaved” from the viewpoint of consistent and reproducible gas chromatographic elution, the correlation coefficient of the response factor can be independent of the ion employed for quantification. Correlation coefficients of response factors for packed column and capillary column experiments demonstrated, not surprisingly, that response factor variation is compound dependent. For most cases cited, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the response factor was less than 20 percent. However, for certain priority pollutants, response factor variation indicated that the recommended analysis protocol has serious deficiencies.

Author Information

Sauter, D
Computer Sciences Corporation, EPA Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, Ga
Kieda, C
Computer Sciences Corporation, EPA Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, Ga
Devine, R
Computer Sciences Corporation, EPA Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, Ga
Nowicki, H
Computer Sciences Corporation, EPA Environmental Research Laboratory, Athens, Ga
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Details
Developed by Committee: D19
Pages: 221–233
DOI: 10.1520/STP35017S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-4753-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-0508-9