Determination of benzothiazoles and benzotriazoles by using ionic liquid stationary phases in gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Application to their characterization in wastewaters

Benzothiazoles (BTHs) and benzotriazoles (BTRs) belong to a high production volume chemicals widely used in both industrial and household applications. Since they are recalcitrant to biodegradation, they are widespread in the environment. However, the BTHs and BTRs determination in environmental matrices is hindered by the coelution with coextracted organic matter and the poor selectivity in mass spectrometry due to the low mass of their diagnostic ions. Accordingly, this study examines the selectivity and suitability of new commercially available ionic liquid (IL) stationary phases for GC–MS and their application to the determination of BTHs and BTRs in wastewater samples. Five different IL columns were tested and the best results in terms of resolution, peak symmetry and analysis time were obtained with the SLB-IL59.

► Ionic liquid stationary phases bleeding do not interfere with the benzothiazoles and benzotriazoles diagnostic ions by GC–MS.
► The SLB-IL59 allows the complete elution of 6 benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles analyzed.
► The SLB-IL59 provides suitable peak symmetry and resolution between all the target analytes.
► The SLB-IL59 has been successfully applied to their determination in wastewaters by GC–MS.