Analysis of Water Contaminants and Natural Water Samples Using Two-Step Laser Mass Spectrometry

The applicability of two-step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) to the analysis of water contaminants and environmental water samples is demonstrated. First, the ionization characteristics of a selection of naphthyl and carbamate pesticides and of phenol were determined. The ion signal of all compounds increased with ionization laser pulse energy, within the investigated range (20−200 μJ). Ion yields relative to an internal standard, benz[a]anthracene, reached 30% for naphthyl pesticides ionized at 225 nm and 2−8% at 266 nm. At 266 nm, similar relative ion yields were found for phenol. Carbamate pesticides showed lower relative ion yields at all wavelengths, by a factor of ∼10−100, but higher relative ion yields, on the order of 1%, were obtained when using short (ps) laser pulses for ionization. These data allow one to estimate the detection limits of these analytes in a variety of matrixes once they are known for one of the compounds. Second, the quantitative analysis of carbaryl, phenol, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rainwater is demonstrated. The aqueous samples were frozen to permit direct L2MS analysis of organic pollutants without tedious sample preparation. Detection limits were in the low-microgram per liter concentration range and recoveries of phenol from spiked rainwater samples were above 90%. The specific advantages are exemplified with the investigation of dynamic washout processes of atmospheric organic pollutants with a resolution of 0.01 mm of precipitation.