Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Analysis Of Volatile Organic Compounds In The Southern Chesapeake Bay, Virginia By Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, James D. Haluska

OES Theses and Dissertations

Sea-water samples from the Norfolk, Virginia area were analyzed for trace volatile organic compounds by helium sparging. Contents of the trap were injected into a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. Analysis of the trap contents indicated the presence of aliphatic and olef1nic hydrocarbons containing up to six carbon atoms and eight halogenated compounds of up to two carbon atoms in length. The halogenated compounds which were identified were dichlorofluoromethane, trichlorotrifluoroethane, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, trichloroethane (2 isomers) bromodichloromethane, and chlorotrifluoroethylene. The

relative concentrations of volatile organic compounds generally tended to increase in samples collected from water prone to urban environmental pressures. All eight …