Abstract:
Objective To establish a method for simultaneous determination of four chlorophenols including 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), 2, 4-dichlorophenol (2, 4-DCP), 2, 4, 6-trichlorophenol (2, 4, 6-TCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) in human urine by gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).
Methods Urine samples were hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid, extracted by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method, and then derivatized using acetic anhydride. The products were detected by GC-MS/MS and quantified by internal standard method.
Results Using artificial urine as urine blank and matrix for matched calibration, good linear relationships were obtained in the range of 0.50-100.0, 0.50-100.0, 0.50-100.0 μg/L, and 1.0-100.0 μg/L for 2-CP, 2, 4-DCP, 2, 4, 6-TCP, and PCP, respectively. Correlation coefficients were all greater than 0.999. Limits of detection ranged from 0.1 μg/L to 0.3 μg/L. Recoveries were between 88.8% and 118.2% with relative standard deviations in the range of 1.3% to 5.5%.
Conclusion The method is featured by simple operation, high accuracy, and good repeatability to detect multiple chlorophenols in human urine samples.