Gas chromatographic determination of phenol compounds with automatic extraction and derivatization.

Two gas chromatographic procedures for the determination of a variety of substituted phenols in water samples are described. The phenols were extracted or extracted-derivatized by using a continuous liquid-liquid extraction-derivatization system and quantified with flame ionization detection. Ethyl acetate was found to be the most efficient solvent for phenols whereas n-hexane yielded essentially the same recoveries for derivatized phenols. Between 0.1 and 300 mg/l of the different phenols can be detected with a relative standard deviation 1.1 and 3.7%. The acetate esters of six phenols were formed by the direct addition of acetic anhydride to the organic extractant. The stable acetate esters thus formed were isolated by using a standard dimethyl polysiloxane gas chromatographic column.