2022 Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages 94-102
In this study, to develop a method for detecting phenols included in the Japanese drinking water quality standards, without using solid-phase extraction, a direct injection method based on liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) using dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl) derivatization was examined. We developed a test method by adding an internal standard solution, carbonate buffer containing phosphoric acid, and DNS-Cl solution to sample water, derivatizing it at a reaction temperature of 60°C, and subjecting it to LC/MS/MS. To evaluate the validity of our method, a spike and recovery test was conducted using tap water dechlorinated by sodium ascorbate and dechlorinated tap water containing copper sulfate and phosphoric acid for sample preservation. The results of the recovery test indicated that two factors, namely the accuracy and repeatability of the calibration curve and the accuracy, repeatability, and intermediate precision of the recovery test, satisfied the Japanese validation guidelines on drinking water analysis. Thus, this method can be useful for detecting phenols in drinking water.