Determination of perfluorinated compounds in Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms using LC-MS/MS in combination with sample preparation by ultrasound-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction

Abstract

    Fifteen perfluorinated compounds, including perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate salts (with 4 to 12 carbon atoms in their structure) in Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms samples underwent analysis using Liquid Chromatography- tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This analysis was conducted alongside sample preparation employing ultrasound-assisted extraction and solid-phase extraction. The optimization of solvent extraction involved the use of 5 ml of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), 10 minutes of sonication, and three repeated extraction cycles. The weak anion exchange (WAX) cartridge was selected after evaluating and comparing the solid-phase extraction efficiencies of both WAX and C18 cartridges. The evaluated method demonstrated successful analysis of all 15 PFCs in plant samples, achieving favorable recoveries ranging from 71 to 116% (with a coefficient of variation of 1.2-6.6%). The quantification limits for these 15 PFCs in Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms samples ranged between 0.30 to 0.54 ng/g.