Analysis of Pentachlorophenol in Drinking Water and Human Urine by HPLC with Electrochemical Detection

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Abstract
High performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC) was applied to the analysis of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in drinking water and human urine. Lower detection limits for PCP in drinking water was .apprx. 1-5 ppb while the chlorinated phenol could be detected in human urine at .apprx. 10 ppb concentration. Analyses of PCP in drinking water were made with no sample pretreatments, while analyses involving human urine required acid hydrolysis, absorptions on an anion exchange resin and desorption with methanol. In each case, dramatic savings in analysis times and increases in sample through-put were realized using analysis based on HPLC-EC rather than the more traditional procedures relying on gas chromatography [GC] with electron capture detection. Method sensitivities were approximately equivalent to methods using GC.