The use of liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure ionization-mass spectrometry in water analysis ^ Part I: Achievements

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure ionization is dramatically changing the analytical methods, potential and tasks of water analysis. The present status in applying this technique to organic as well as inorganic water constituents and its use in the context of wastewater treatment and drinking water preparation is reviewed. Separation techniques such as reversed-phase HPLC, ion chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and size-exclusion chromatography are also considered. LC-MS is well established to detect industrial mass chemicals such as dyes, aromatic sulfonates, surfactants and complexing agents but also trace compounds such as drugs, endocrine-disrupting compounds, toxins, phenols and haloacetic acids. The applications of LC-MS are now expanding towards the analysis of inorganic compounds such as oxo-anion. The success in characterizing natural organic matter by LCMS is still limited, but an interesting potential is seen in detecting organometallic complexes as well as non-covalently bound adducts following electrospray ionization. z2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.