ABSTRACT
Murray and Riley [1, 2] described gas chromatographic methods for the determination of trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride in natural waters. These substances were separated and determined on a glass column (4m × 4mm) packed with 3% of SE-52 on Chromosorb W (AW DMCS) (80-100 mesh) and operated at 35°C, with argon (30mL min-1) as carrier gas. An electron-capture detector was used, with argon-methane (9:1) as quench gas. Chlorinated hydrocarbons were stripped from water samples by passage of nitrogen and removed from solid samples by heating in a stream of nitrogen. In each case the compounds were transferred from the nitrogen to the carrier gas by trapping on a copper column (30cm × 6mm) packed with Chromosorb W (AW DMCS) (80-100 mesh) coated with 3% of SE-52 and cooled at –78°C, and subsequently sweeping on to the gas chromatographic column with the stream of argon. A limitation of this procedure is that compounds which boil considerably above 100°C could not be determined [3].
