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Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis
Environment International 30 (2004) 603 – 604 www.elsevier.com/locate/envint
Book Review Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis By Prof. John R. Dean, Northumbria University, John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2003, ISBN: 0-470-84422-2 ‘‘Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis’’ by Prof. John R. Dean of Northumbria University is part of a series of books published by John Wiley and Sons entitled the Analytical Chemistry in the Sciences (AnTS). The AnTS series of texts are concerned with both the actual advances in analytical instrumentation and their applications in various disciplines such as environmental, food, life or forensic sciences. In 12 chapters and a little over 250 pages, the book of Prof. Dean aims to provide a working knowledge of all the major sample preparation steps required prior to the analysis of both inorganic and organic species in environmental samples. Unlike the many analytical chemistry texts available, this book focuses on the sample preparation side for both trace metals and organics. The text, written in an open-learning style, is aimed primarily at both under- and postgraduate students in environmental chemistry and their teachers, but this book would also act as a training course for in-house training schemes. Each chapter begins with learning objectives clearly defined and provides a very good range of self-study revision questions, which allow the students to test their level of understanding of the material. When necessary, theoretical aspects are also summarized into specific boxes. For environmental chemistry courses that have a wider perspective, the book content may be a little limited but a very comprehensive and up-to-date bibliography will provide to the reader an opportunity to seek easily for additional information. The first four chapters cover safe laboratory practices, quality assurance, sampling and storage of samples. The author provides guidelines for working safely and appropriately in a laboratory environment and legal requirements such as COSHH regulations are introduced. These are extremely relevant for new chemists learning how to carry out a variety of methods and techniques. However, basic laboratory operations such as cleaning glassware, preparing solutions, use of balance, separation/filtration methods and transfer techniques are omitted. The concepts of quality assurance are well introduced and very useful tables are provided summarizing the certified reference materials available for a wide range of organic and inorganic chemical species. In a short chapter, the concept of representative sampling is introduced and sampling methods for water, air, doi:10.1016/j.envint.2004.01.002
soils and sediments are presented including good schematic of some typical sampling devices. The next two chapters cover sample preparation for inorganic analysis from both solid and liquid samples. This part of the text is extensively documented and by far the most complete of the book. Numerous up-to-date references and entire analytical procedures are given throughout the text. The major techniques used for acid digestions of solid samples (hot-plate techniques and microwave oven digestions) are presented including theoretical aspects of the microwave interaction with matter. For liquid sample analyses, the author focuses on liquid – liquid extraction, ion exchange and co-precipitation techniques. The most common acid digestions procedures for soils, sediments, sludges and foodstuffs are clearly summarized using either tables or flow diagrams containing very precise experimental conditions. The growing area of metal speciation is introduced with a particular emphasis on the experimental procedures used for the selective determination of mercury, tin, arsenic and chromium. With regard to soil pollution studies, the author provides a useful comparison between the single and the sequential extraction procedures commonly used for the determination of metal species. Finally, for self-study applications, those chapters are completed by several case studies. Four chapter dealing with sample preparation for organic analysis follow: solids, liquids, volatile organic compounds and pre-concentration using solvent evaporation. In the first two chapters, the author focuses exclusively on the numerous extraction techniques of the organic matter from both solid and liquid samples. Conventional approaches such as soxhlet, shake-flask and ultrasonic extractions are compared with more recent methods namely supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction, pressurized fluid extraction and matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD). With regard to liquid samples, liquid – liquid and solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques are contrasted with the actual solid phase micro-extraction technique (SPME). Interestingly, the relative advantages and disadvantages of the extraction methods presented above are considered. Each technique is illustrated by good schematics, flow diagrams summarizing typical experimental conditions and case studies. In addition, the author provides theoretical elements related to the latest developments (SFE, SPME, pressurized fluid extraction). The analysis of volatile organic compounds, a rapidly growing area in analytical chemistry, is introduced in a short chapter with clear
604
Book Review
descriptions of the thermal desorption and the purge and trap analytical techniques. Finally, the last chapter describes the different methods used in trace organic analysis for the pre-concentration of solvents (rotary evaporation, Kuderna –Danish and gas blow down systems). Overall, the coverage of trace organic analysis would seem to be very suitable for the aim of the book. Nevertheless, total organic extracts from soils, sediments or liquid samples are generally submitted to various clean-up steps prior to the analysis of most of organic pollutants. These sample preparation steps may involve the use of liquid chromatography on various adsorbents (silica, Florisil, alumina, activated carbon), of size exclusion chromatography or ion-exchange chromatography. Unfortunately, the author has not developed those important and specific procedures used in the analysis of trace organics. An additional chapter to supplement these aspects of organic sample preparation would have been useful. It would have provided the opportunity to discuss the different strategies employed for the purification of selected organic pollutants from complex environmental matrices and to present into more details some of the major families of environmental pollutants such as pesticides, surfactants, hydrocarbons, dioxins, flame-retardants or polychlorobiphenyls.
A chapter describing the major instrumental techniques used for trace metals and organic analysis follows the organic analysis section. It is not the intention of the author to give detailed chapters on analytical instrumentations, but the rapid description of analytical techniques such as GC, GC/MS and HPLC for organic compounds or atomic emission spectroscopy, ICP-MS and X-ray fluorescence for trace metal analyses constitute a useful addition to the book. In the final chapter, guidelines are given for the recording of information during sample preparation steps and a comprehensive bibliography is provided to guide the reader towards more specialized books, web sites or CD-ROMs. In spite of the few reservations mentioned above, this is an excellent book summarizing in a very limited number of pages the sample preparation side for metal and trace organic analyses. This book deserves to be on the reading list for many environmental chemistry courses. Dr. Eric Aries Trace Organic Analysis Laboratory, Corus Research, Development and Technology, Swinden Technology Centre, Moorgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 3AR, UK E-mail address: [email protected] Tel.: +44-1709-825-231; fax: +44-1709-825-400
Book Review Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis By Prof. John R. Dean, Northumbria University, John Wiley and Sons Ltd., 2003, ISBN: 0-470-84422-2 ‘‘Methods for Environmental Trace Analysis’’ by Prof. John R. Dean of Northumbria University is part of a series of books published by John Wiley and Sons entitled the Analytical Chemistry in the Sciences (AnTS). The AnTS series of texts are concerned with both the actual advances in analytical instrumentation and their applications in various disciplines such as environmental, food, life or forensic sciences. In 12 chapters and a little over 250 pages, the book of Prof. Dean aims to provide a working knowledge of all the major sample preparation steps required prior to the analysis of both inorganic and organic species in environmental samples. Unlike the many analytical chemistry texts available, this book focuses on the sample preparation side for both trace metals and organics. The text, written in an open-learning style, is aimed primarily at both under- and postgraduate students in environmental chemistry and their teachers, but this book would also act as a training course for in-house training schemes. Each chapter begins with learning objectives clearly defined and provides a very good range of self-study revision questions, which allow the students to test their level of understanding of the material. When necessary, theoretical aspects are also summarized into specific boxes. For environmental chemistry courses that have a wider perspective, the book content may be a little limited but a very comprehensive and up-to-date bibliography will provide to the reader an opportunity to seek easily for additional information. The first four chapters cover safe laboratory practices, quality assurance, sampling and storage of samples. The author provides guidelines for working safely and appropriately in a laboratory environment and legal requirements such as COSHH regulations are introduced. These are extremely relevant for new chemists learning how to carry out a variety of methods and techniques. However, basic laboratory operations such as cleaning glassware, preparing solutions, use of balance, separation/filtration methods and transfer techniques are omitted. The concepts of quality assurance are well introduced and very useful tables are provided summarizing the certified reference materials available for a wide range of organic and inorganic chemical species. In a short chapter, the concept of representative sampling is introduced and sampling methods for water, air, doi:10.1016/j.envint.2004.01.002
soils and sediments are presented including good schematic of some typical sampling devices. The next two chapters cover sample preparation for inorganic analysis from both solid and liquid samples. This part of the text is extensively documented and by far the most complete of the book. Numerous up-to-date references and entire analytical procedures are given throughout the text. The major techniques used for acid digestions of solid samples (hot-plate techniques and microwave oven digestions) are presented including theoretical aspects of the microwave interaction with matter. For liquid sample analyses, the author focuses on liquid – liquid extraction, ion exchange and co-precipitation techniques. The most common acid digestions procedures for soils, sediments, sludges and foodstuffs are clearly summarized using either tables or flow diagrams containing very precise experimental conditions. The growing area of metal speciation is introduced with a particular emphasis on the experimental procedures used for the selective determination of mercury, tin, arsenic and chromium. With regard to soil pollution studies, the author provides a useful comparison between the single and the sequential extraction procedures commonly used for the determination of metal species. Finally, for self-study applications, those chapters are completed by several case studies. Four chapter dealing with sample preparation for organic analysis follow: solids, liquids, volatile organic compounds and pre-concentration using solvent evaporation. In the first two chapters, the author focuses exclusively on the numerous extraction techniques of the organic matter from both solid and liquid samples. Conventional approaches such as soxhlet, shake-flask and ultrasonic extractions are compared with more recent methods namely supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), microwave-assisted extraction, pressurized fluid extraction and matrix solid phase dispersion (MSPD). With regard to liquid samples, liquid – liquid and solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques are contrasted with the actual solid phase micro-extraction technique (SPME). Interestingly, the relative advantages and disadvantages of the extraction methods presented above are considered. Each technique is illustrated by good schematics, flow diagrams summarizing typical experimental conditions and case studies. In addition, the author provides theoretical elements related to the latest developments (SFE, SPME, pressurized fluid extraction). The analysis of volatile organic compounds, a rapidly growing area in analytical chemistry, is introduced in a short chapter with clear
604
Book Review
descriptions of the thermal desorption and the purge and trap analytical techniques. Finally, the last chapter describes the different methods used in trace organic analysis for the pre-concentration of solvents (rotary evaporation, Kuderna –Danish and gas blow down systems). Overall, the coverage of trace organic analysis would seem to be very suitable for the aim of the book. Nevertheless, total organic extracts from soils, sediments or liquid samples are generally submitted to various clean-up steps prior to the analysis of most of organic pollutants. These sample preparation steps may involve the use of liquid chromatography on various adsorbents (silica, Florisil, alumina, activated carbon), of size exclusion chromatography or ion-exchange chromatography. Unfortunately, the author has not developed those important and specific procedures used in the analysis of trace organics. An additional chapter to supplement these aspects of organic sample preparation would have been useful. It would have provided the opportunity to discuss the different strategies employed for the purification of selected organic pollutants from complex environmental matrices and to present into more details some of the major families of environmental pollutants such as pesticides, surfactants, hydrocarbons, dioxins, flame-retardants or polychlorobiphenyls.
A chapter describing the major instrumental techniques used for trace metals and organic analysis follows the organic analysis section. It is not the intention of the author to give detailed chapters on analytical instrumentations, but the rapid description of analytical techniques such as GC, GC/MS and HPLC for organic compounds or atomic emission spectroscopy, ICP-MS and X-ray fluorescence for trace metal analyses constitute a useful addition to the book. In the final chapter, guidelines are given for the recording of information during sample preparation steps and a comprehensive bibliography is provided to guide the reader towards more specialized books, web sites or CD-ROMs. In spite of the few reservations mentioned above, this is an excellent book summarizing in a very limited number of pages the sample preparation side for metal and trace organic analyses. This book deserves to be on the reading list for many environmental chemistry courses. Dr. Eric Aries Trace Organic Analysis Laboratory, Corus Research, Development and Technology, Swinden Technology Centre, Moorgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 3AR, UK E-mail address: [email protected] Tel.: +44-1709-825-231; fax: +44-1709-825-400