Liquid chromatography/particle beam/mass spectrometry of polar compounds of environmental interest

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/particle beam (PB)/mass spectrometry (MS) was studied to determine its suitability as a major component of a general purpose, broad-spectrum analytical method for the determination of nonvolatile organic compounds in environmental samples. A reverse-phase gradient elution HPLC separation was developed for a test mixture of compounds that are insufficiently volatile for gas chromatography. Two commercial PB interfaces were used, and retention data were collected for these compounds of environmental interest. Other performance factors studied included tuning and signal optimization, instrument detection limits, linear calibration range, and short-term ion intensity stabilities.