Simultaneous extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils by pressurized liquid extraction and determination by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple and rapid method based on pressurized liquid extraction has been validated for the simultaneous extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from agricultural soil samples. Effective extraction was carried out in less than 17 min for all the studied compounds, and good recoveries were obtained for PAHs and PCBs, ranging from 70% to 112%, when blank samples were spiked at 2.5 microg kg(-1), except for naphthalene with recoveries close to 40%.

Determination of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in environmental samples by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) was determined in environmental samples such as water and soil. DEHP was extracted from water samples using SPE, whereas for soils pressurized liquid extraction was applied as extraction method, using hexane/acetone (1:1, v/v) as extractant solvent. The use of HPLC coupled to MS provides the basis of the selective determination of DEHP in the analyzed samples.