Simultaneous determination of mono-, di- and tributyltin in environmental samples using isotope dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Abstract

The development of a rapid, precise and accurate speciation method for the simultaneous determination of mono-, di- and tributyltin in environmental samples is described. The method is based on using isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with electron ionization, a widely used technique in routine testing laboratories. A mixed spike containing 119Sn-enriched monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and tributyltin (TBT) was used for the isotope dilution of the samples. Five molecular ions were monitored for each analyte, corresponding to the 116Sn, 117Sn, 118Sn, 119Sn and 120Sn isotopes. The detection at masses corresponding to 116Sn and 117Sn were used to correct for m + 1 and m + 2 contributions of 13C from the organic groups attached to the tin atom on the 118Sn, 119Sn and 120Sn masses with simple mathematical equations and the concentrations of the butyltin compounds were calculated based on the corrected 118Sn/119Sn and 120Sn/119Sn isotope ratios. The 119Sn-enriched multispecies spike was applied with satisfactory results to the simultaneous determination of MBT, DBT and TBT in three certified reference materials: two sediments, PACS-2 and BCR 646, and the mussel tissue CRM 477. The method was compared with a previously published GC/inductively coupled plasma MS isotope dilution procedure, developed in our laboratory, by injecting the same samples into both instruments. Comparable analytical results in terms of precision and accuracy are demonstrated for both atomic and molecular mass spectrometric detectors. Thus, reliable quantitative organotin speciation analysis can be achieved using the more widespread and inexpensive GC/MS instrument. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.