ABSTRACT
Halogenated hydrocarbons or halocarbons are halogen-substituted hydrocarbons. These substances contain carbon, hydrogen, and halogen atoms in the molecules. This chapter lists some commonly used volatile halogenated hydrocarbons and presents the characteristic masses for the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) determination. It also presents some of the halogenated hydrocarbons that can be effectively extracted out from aqueous and nonaqueous matrices by liquid–liquid or other nonpurge and trap extraction. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methods can determine common halogenated hydrocarbons in air. The NIOSH methods, in general, are based on adsorption of compounds in the air over a suitable adsorbent, desorption of the adsorbed analytes into a desorbing solvent, and, subsequently, their determination by GC using a suitable detector. The US EPA has listed several halogenated hydrocarbons as priority pollutants and their methods of analysis are documented.
