Abstract
Low MW carboxylic acids (C2-C8) were measured in aqueous samples using reverse phase HPLC [high performance liquid chromatography] coupled with conductivity detection. The aqueous samples were adjusted to pH 2 with H2SO4 and extracted with diethyl ether. The ether was allowed to evaporate over distilled water. The acid concentrate was analyzed using a Zorbax-ODS column (25 mm .times. 4.6 mm). The method was simple, fast and because of the selectivity of the conductivity detector, was relatively free from interferences. Average precision was estimated to be .apprx. .+-. 13% for the overall method.