DERIVATIZATION OF SMALL ACIDS TO ENHANCE SENSITIVITY IN GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY

Author

Chih-Hao Wang

Graduation Semester and Year

2016

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Chemistry

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Kevin A Schug

Abstract

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are a significant concern in drinking water quality. Haloacetic acids, which are generated from disinfection processes, are one of the major groups in disinfection by-products. Because they induce potential harmful effects for human health, the US government has already established regulations to control the levels of haloacetic acids in drinking water. In order to control the presence of haloacetic acids in drinking water and monitor other potential harmful compounds, an appropriate analytical method is needed. In this study, a gas chromatography (GC) method was developed for detecting haloacetic acids in water. Three different derivatization reagents were compared for sensitivity enhancement in conjunction with mass spectrometry (MS) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) detection. A model study was first performed using acetic acid and then the study was extended to haloacetic acids. The sensitivity of GC-MS and GC- VUV had been increased after the derivatization. However, it also had many shortcomings and challenges that needed to be overcome: (1) the efficiency of derivatization was low; (2) the benzyl alcohol derivatization caused many side reactions in complex samples and generated high intensities of interference noises. Further study will need to modify the GC-MS and GC- VUV methods, especially for the detection of brominated trihaloacetic acids.

Keywords

Haloacetic acids, Gas chromatography, Vacuum ultraviolet detection

Disciplines

Chemistry | Physical Sciences and Mathematics

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

Recommended Citation

Wang, Chih-Hao, "DERIVATIZATION OF SMALL ACIDS TO ENHANCE SENSITIVITY IN GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY VACUUM ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY" (2016). Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses. 84.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/chemistry_theses/84