Determination of butyltin, cyclohexyltin and phenyltin compounds in beers and wines.

Butyl- cyclohexyl- and phenyltin compounds were extracted from enzymically-hydrolysed wine and beer samples with 0.05% tropolone in pentane. Methyl derivatives were made by Grignard reaction for determination by gas chromatography-atomic absorption spectrometry. Wine and beer samples contained less than 0.1 to 160 nl/ml of butyltins from an undetermined source of contamination. GC-MS confirmation of butyltins also detected phenyltin, and di- and tricyclohexyltin compounds at levels less than the GC-AAS based method detection limits of 0.05-0.13 ng Sn/mL.