Simultaneous analysis of anionic, amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants using ultra-high speed LC-MS/MS

Surfactant chemistry has made a considerable impact on a number of household products including detergents, shampoos and toothpaste. Products are generally classified by the type of each hydrophilic substructure into anionic, cationic, amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants. Either anionic or non-ionic surfactants are typically used as synthetic detergents, however, to better elucidate the potential risk in environmental samples, mainly in agricultural soils and sediments, methods need to take into account a range of surfactant chemistries. Current surfactant monitoring methodologies tend to focus on a specific surfactant. Here, we have developed the simultaneous analysis method for typical anionic, amphoteric and non-ionic surfactant using LC-MS/MS.