In this article from Issue 15 of the Analytix Reporter the Ascentis® Express PAH HPLC Column is shown to provide a fast and efficient separation of PAH compounds.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic compounds commonly found in the environment because of incomplete combustion of fuels, such as coal, tar, and crude oil, among others. These compounds’ carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic nature makes them compounds of concern to environmental organizations around the world. Consequently, there are many regulatory methods in place for PAH testing in environmental samples like air, soil, water, as well as food samples to protect human health.
PAH analysis in water at trace levels demands a highly sensitive method. In this application, we demonstrate an analysis for the separation of 16 + 2 standard PAH compounds (see Figure 1 in the article) mentioned in EPA method 610 and 8310 on an Ascentis® Express PAH column.
The Ascentis® Express PAH is a non-endcapped, trifunctional C18 phase with a proprietary manufacturing process designed on superficially porous particle (SPP) technology to provide a fast and efficient separation of PAH compounds. The analysis was completed with a resolution value of at least 1.5 in under 5 minutes for EPA method 610. The column gave better detection sensitivity with fluorescence detection in comparison to UV and a fully porous particle (FPP) sub-2 μm column.
*The life science business of Merck operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada.