Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2018 Jul;410(17):3933-3941. doi: 10.1007/s00216-018-1015-9. Epub 2018 Mar 21.
Water analysis has been an important area since the beginning of analytical chemistry. The focus though has shifted substantially: from minerals and the main constituents of water in the time of Carl Remigius Fresenius to a multitude of, in particular, organic compounds at concentrations down to the sub-nanogram per liter level nowadays. This was possible only because of numerous innovations in instrumentation in recent decades, drivers of which are briefly discussed. In addition to the high demands on sensitivity, high throughput by automation and short analysis times are major requirements. In this article, some recent developments in the chemical analysis of organic micropollutants (OMPs) are presented. These include the analysis of priority pollutants in whole water samples, extension of the analytical window, in particular to encompass highly polar compounds, the trend toward more than one separation dimension before mass spectrometric detection, and ways of coping with unknown analytes by suspect and nontarget screening approaches involving high-resolution mass spectrometry. Furthermore, beyond gathering reliable concentration data for many OMPs, the question of the relevance of such data for the aquatic system under scrutiny is becoming ever more important. To that end, effect-based analytics can be used and may become part of future routine monitoring, mostly with a focus on adverse effects of OMPs in specific test systems mimicking environmental impacts. Despite advances in the field of water analysis in recent years, there are still many challenges for further analytical research. Graphical abstract Recent trends in water analysis of organic micropollutants that open new opportunities in future water monitoring. HRMS high-resolution mass spectrometry, PMOC persistent mobile organic compounds.
水分析自分析化学诞生以来一直是一个重要领域。但重点已经发生了很大变化：从卡尔·弗里德里希·雷斯（Carl Remigius Fresenius）时代水中的矿物质和主要成分到现在的大量，特别是浓度达到亚纳克/升以下的有机化合物。这只有在最近几十年仪器仪表的众多创新的推动下才成为可能，简要讨论了这些创新的驱动因素。除了对灵敏度的高要求外，高自动化吞吐量和短分析时间也是主要要求。本文介绍了有机微量污染物（OMP）化学分析的一些最新进展。这些进展包括对整个水样中优先污染物的分析、分析窗口的扩展，特别是涵盖高极性化合物、在质谱检测前向多分离维度的趋势，以及通过涉及高分辨率质谱的可疑和非靶向筛选方法应对未知分析物的方法。此外，除了为许多 OMP 收集可靠的浓度数据外，这些数据对于所研究的水生系统的相关性问题变得越来越重要。为此，可以使用基于效应的分析方法，并可能成为未来常规监测的一部分，主要侧重于特定测试系统中 OMP 的不良影响，以模拟环境影响。尽管近年来水分析领域取得了进展，但在进一步的分析研究中仍存在许多挑战。
