Determination of the Anionic Surfactant Di(Ethylhexyl) Sodium Sulfosuccinate in Water Samples Collected from Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters Before and After Landfall of Oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, May to October, 2010

摘要

This report presents data requested by the U.S. Coast Guard for di(ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) concentrations in Gulf of Mexico surface water samples collected before Macondo-1 oil made landfall (prelandfall samples) along the coast , and surface water samples collected after Macondo-1 oil made landfall (post-landfall samples). Samples were collected from coastal waters in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida before and after landfall of oil; where possible, pre- and post landfall samples were collected from the same site. In this report, a novel analytical method for the determination of sub-ppb concentrations of DOSS in seawater samples is presented; DOSS is isolated from a 1.5-milliliter water sample on a 0.2-micrometer Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE) filter, eluted with a solution of 50 percent methanol in water, and analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Isotope dilution internal standard procedures are used to quantify DOSS and correct for losses during isolation and analysis, using a custom-synthesized stable-isotope analog, which is added to water samples prior to DOSS isolation.