Comment On 'optimized Microwave Extraction For Trace Detection Of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene In Soil Samples' [chemosphere 71 (9) (2008) 1701-1708]

摘要

For the analysis of nitroaromatic compounds (including 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, TNT) in soil samples, the most widely used and considered as a standard method is the US Environmental Protection Agency recommended method, EPA Method 8330B (USEPA, 2006). Although there is a recent introduction of a new method of determination of explosive compounds in soil samples by USEPA as Method 8095 (USEPA, 2007) the extraction procedure is basically the same as the one employed in Method 8330B. It involves shaking (on a platform shaker or cooled ultrasonic bath) for 18 h of 10 g of soil in 20 mL acetonitrile. Letting the sample settle down, followed by possibly centrifugation and filtering through 0.45 urn filter medium, further elongates the sample pretreatment procedure. Apart from the inherent drawbacks of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultra violet detection in Method 8330B and gas chromatography (GC)-electron capture detection in Method 8095 (Yinon, 1999), the main disadvantage of these methods is the lengthy and tedious extraction/sample pretreatment procedure. Therefore, working towards a shorter and efficient extraction procedure for explosive compounds from soil samples is extremely important.