Abstract

The retention behaviors of 16 PAHs and 4 nitro-PAHs were studied with several parameters involved numbers of carbon atoms, F factor, aqueous solubility, L/B ratio, and numbers of interfering hydrogen atom pairs on the chemical structures of PAHs by using reversed-phase liquid chromatography/diode array detection method (RPLC/DAD) and gradient elution method. It was obtain that the log k' for most of PAHs with increasing the number of carbon and the F factor in their molecules. Chromatographic retention of PAH isomers and nitro-PAHs were examined with aqueous solubility, L/B ratio and number of interfering hydrogen atom pairs. As a result of comparison with these factors and retention times, it was found that those solutes having larger aqueous solubilities and greater L/B ratios were retained longer on stationary phase. This tendency was also occured in the molecules having the more number of interfering hydrogen atom pairs. Detection limits of PAHs which were obtained with three times measurements by RPLC/DAD were in the range of 100~500ng/mL and method detection limit(MDL) for water sample were in the range of 0.1~0.5ng/mL.