Assessment of benzothiazoles, benzotriazoles and benzenesulfonamides in environmental waters using an optimized combination of microextraction by packed sorbent with programmed temperature vaporization-gas chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry

• Published in: Talanta (Oxford) 2023-06, Vol.258, p.124410-124410, Article 124410
• Main Authors: Elliani, Rosangela, Tagarelli, Antonio, Naccarato, Attilio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Benzenesulfonamides BSAs; Benzothiazoles BTs; Benzotriazoles BTRs; Experimental design; Gas chromatography; Microextraction by packed sorbent MEPS
• ISSN: 0039-9140; 1873-3573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.124410

This work proposes a new method for the quantification of benzothiazoles (BTs), benzotriazoles (BTRs), and benzenesulfonamides (BSAs) in tap water, river water, and wastewater. The protocol involved the use of microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS), applied for the first time for the extraction of the target analytes, combined with programmed temperature vaporization-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (PTV-GC-QqQ-MS). Considering the synergism between MEPS extraction and PTV injection, the experimental variables affecting their performance were simultaneously optimized by “experimental design”, while principal component analysis (PCA) was used to find the overall optimal working conditions. Response surface methodology was used to gain a comprehensive understanding of the effects of working variables on method performance. The developed method achieved very good linearities and satisfactory intra- and inter-day accuracies and precisions. The protocol permitted the detection of the target molecules with limit of detection (LODs) values between 0.005 and 0.85 μg/L. The green character of the procedure was evaluated using three metrics: “Analytical Eco-Scale”, “Green Analytical Procedure Index” (GAPI), and “Analytical Greenness metric for sample preparation (AGREEprep). The satisfactory results obtained with real water samples demonstrate the applicability of the method for monitoring campaigns and exposome studies. [Display omitted] •A new automatable method for BTs, BTRs, and BSAs quantitation in waters is presented.•MEPS extraction and PTV injection were synergistically optimized by experimental design.•PCA was used to determine the most desirable working condition for maximum sensitivity.•The target compounds were quantified with LODs ranging between 0.005 and 0.85 μg/L.•The “green” character of the procedure was evaluated by greenness metric approaches.