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Chapter 5 Analytical techniques for perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

  • Christian Vogel and Danny Slee
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Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of various anthropogenic organic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms. Because this group contains more than 7 million compounds, they can have very different properties. PFAS analysis in environmental samples is currently mainly utilized by liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and related techniques as well as gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to conduct target analysis. However, to get a better overview of the amount of “total” amount of PFAS, sum parameter methods like total oxidizable precursor assay (TOPA), absorbable organic fluorine (AOF), and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) are in development. Additionally, for research purposes, several spectroscopical methods like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, particular induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy as well as19 F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared, and Raman spectroscopy are available. Therefore, an overview is given on currently available analytical techniques for PFAS in environmental samples and their application possibilities discussed for different kinds of PFAS subgroups.

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of various anthropogenic organic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms. Because this group contains more than 7 million compounds, they can have very different properties. PFAS analysis in environmental samples is currently mainly utilized by liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and related techniques as well as gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to conduct target analysis. However, to get a better overview of the amount of “total” amount of PFAS, sum parameter methods like total oxidizable precursor assay (TOPA), absorbable organic fluorine (AOF), and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) are in development. Additionally, for research purposes, several spectroscopical methods like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, particular induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy as well as19 F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared, and Raman spectroscopy are available. Therefore, an overview is given on currently available analytical techniques for PFAS in environmental samples and their application possibilities discussed for different kinds of PFAS subgroups.

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