Determination of Selected Carboxylic Acids and Alcohols in Groundwater by GC—MS

A simple, rapid, and specific method is presented for the determination of selected carboxylic acids and alcohols in water samples by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC—MS). Water samples are injected directly onto a DB-FFAP column (J&W Scientific; Folsom, CA), which has an acidified polyethylene glycol phase. Compounds analyzed include aliphatic carboxylic acids, aromatic carboxylic acids, aliphatic alcohols, and phenols. The instrument response is linear over 2 orders of magnitude for alcohols and 3 orders of magnitude for carboxylic acids, with a detection limit of less than 10 mg/L for most compounds.