A rapid high-performance liquid-chromatographic method for simultaneously determining the concentrations of TFM and Bayer 73 in water during lampricide treatments

The high-performance liquid-chromatography (HPLC) procedure requires only minutes per sample, is specific, and is relatively sensitive (limit of detection < 0.005 mg/L for both chemicals). A combined buffer (pH 4) and internal standard (3-chlorodiphenylamine) reagent is added to the water sample, which is injected through a Sep Pak C¹⁸ disposable cartridge. The cartridge adsorbs and retains both the lampricides and the internal standard. The quantitative elution of the three chemicals from the cartridge with a small volume of methanol effectively concentrates the sample and provides sample cleanup. The methanol extract is then analyzed directly by HPLC on an MCH 10 reverse phase column by using a methanol:0.01 mol/L acetate buffer (87:13, v:v) as the mobile phase at 2 mL/min and detected by ultraviolet spectrophotometry at 330 (or 254) nm. A microprocessor data system further facilitates the procedure by quantifying off-scale peaks and yielding results directly in units of concentration (mg/L).