Simultaneous analysis of benzophenone sunscreen compounds in water sample by stir bar sorptive extraction with in situ derivatization and thermal desorption–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A method for the simultaneous measurement of benzophenone (BP) sunscreen compounds, its derivatives 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (BP-1), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (BP-3), 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-4′-methylbenzophenone (BP-10), 2-hydroxybenzophenone (2OH-BP), 3-hydroxybenzophenone (3OH-BP) and 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4OH-BP), in water samples was developed using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) with in situ derivatization followed by thermal desorption (TD)–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The detection limit is 0.5–2 ng L−1 (ppt) for the seven BPs. The method shows good linearity and the correlation coefficients are equal to or higher than 0.990 for all the analyte. The average recoveries of BPs range from 102.0 to 128.1% (RSD < 15.4%, n = 6). Trace amounts of BPs in river water samples were determined by the present method.