Analysis of Explosives in Plant Tissues: Modifications to Method 8330 for Soil

摘要

Knowledge of the concentration of the contaminants and the molecular state of their degradation products is helpful in assessing the environmental risks associated with the contaminants as well as evaluating the design of remediation technologies. A great deal of interest has been generated recently in the determination of explosives and explosives' by-products in plant tissues. The methods traditionally used for the analysis of explosives in solid matrixes are not adequate due to the high organic content of the plant tissues. Data that are obtained using analytical methods not designed for the specific matrix encountered may lead to incorrect quantitation of the target analyte. The methods used to detect the explosives and their degradation products require matrix-specific sample preparation, separation by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography, and ultraviolet detection. This report addresses three important points in connection with the analysis of explosives in plant tissues: extraction, interferences, and method performance. The extraction of the contaminants from the matrix requires a different set of extraction techniques from those used for standard water and soil extractions. These exotic matrixes contain much higher organic content than soil or water and, as a result, are prone to interference from biological molecules. A liquid chromatographic cleanup step is utilized to reduce these interferences. The performance of the modified method is reported with respect to method detection limits, analyte percent recoveries, and the methods applicability for analysis of contaminated plant tissues from plant uptake studies.