Separation of Pollutant Phenols by Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography with Double-Chain Surfactants Having Two Sulfonate Groups

Abstract

The separation of eleven priority (EPA) phenols and eighteen chlorophenols via micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is described. Disodium 5,12-bis(dodecyloxymethyl)-4,7,10,13-tetraoxa-1,16-hexadecanedisulfonate (DBTHX), disodium 5,13-bis(dodecyloxymethyl)-4,7,11,14-tetraoxa-1,17-heptadecanedisulfonate (DBTHP) and disodium 5,13-bis(dodecyloxymethyl)-4,7,11,14-tetraoxa-9,9-dimethyl-1,17-heptadecanedisulfonate (DBTDMHP) were used as the double-chain surfactants. The EPA phenols were baseline separated by MEKC with 7.5 mM DBTHP. The detection limits of the phenols for a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were in the range 0.5×10^-2 - 3.0×10^-2 mM. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the capacity factors and peak areas for the phenols over the range of 0.31 - 1.8 mM were 0.21 - 1.4% and 1.9 - 4.3%, respectively. The separations of eighteen chlorophenols together with phenol were also carried out by MEKC with these surfactants. These phenols except for 2,3,5- and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol could each be separated with 10 mM DBTHX.