Measurement of TOC in Perfluorochemical (PFOS) Solution

Introduction

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a man-made organic straight-chain compound consisting of an 8-carbon chain with fluorine atoms bonded to each carbon, and a sulfonic acid terminal group. It is a surfactant that easily dissolves in both oil and water, and is used, among other things, as a stain repellent, fabric protector, and in fire- fighting foam. PFOS is an extremely stable compound with strong carbon - fluorine bonds, and reports of its accumulation in wildlife and the environment have attracted international attention and concern, leading to the designation of PFOS as a persistent organic pollutant (POP). The persistent nature of PFOS prevents oxidative decomposition using wet chemical oxidation TOC analyzers, however, the Shimadzu high-temperature catalytic combustion TOC analyzer quantitatively recovers PFOS with high sensitivity and accuracy. Here, we demonstrate measurement of PFOS using the TOC-L_CPH high-temperature catalytic combustion and the TOC-V_WS wet chemical oxidation total organic carbon analyzers.

May 25, 2015 GMT