A solid phase microextraction method to fingerprint dissolved organic carbon released from Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Dehnh.) (River Red Gum) leaves

A solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography (SPME-GC) method was developed to trace natural sources of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in river systems. The effects of extraction time, temperature, salt concentration, rate of stirring, and silanisation of sampling container were examined. The optimum extraction conditions using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) SPME fibre were found to be extraction for 15 min at 40 °C, pH 2, from a saturated NaCl matrix with rapid stirring in a non-silanised vial. The method gave good results for a series of six compounds representative of those likely to be present in dissolved organic carbon leached from River Red Gum leaves-cineole, terpineol, thymol, myristic acid, methyl palmitate and methyl stearate. Artificial dissolved organic carbon solutions prepared from River Red Gum leaf leachate were also examined and the effects of filtering and storage on the filtrate were noted. The method was demonstrated to have potential to track the leachate in aquatic environment, indicated by the large number of compounds extracted from leachate solutions, and the broad linear working ranges of extracted compounds.