Determination of Aromatic Amines in Soils

Abstract

Abstract A rapid liquid chromatographic (LC) method with ultraviolet (UV) or fluorescence detection was developed for parts-per-billion levels of aromatic amines in soils. 2,4-Diaminotoluene, pyridine, aniline, 2-pi-coline, 2-toluidine, 5-nitro-2-toluidine, 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline, 4-aminobiphenyl, 4-nitroaniline, 1-naphthyl-amine, 2-methoxyaniline, and 2-naphthyiamine were tested. The method involves extraction by sonication with 1% ammonium hydroxide–acetonitrile and analysis by LC using gradient elution with aqueous 0.01 M ammonium acetate–0.0005% triethylamine and acetonitrile. Recoveries of 67–106% (9.2 and 34% for 1-and 2-naphthylamines, respectively) were obtained from sand and organic-containing soils spiked in the parts-per-million range. Recoveries from sand spiked at 8.5–25 ppb were 88–105%. Recoveries from organic soil varied from nondetectable to 86% at spikes of 85–500 ppb. Detection limits ranged from 0.5 ppb for highly fluorescent 2-naphthyiamine (by fluorescence detection) to 0.5 ppm for nonfluorescing pyridines (by UV detection).