Application of SPE followed by large-volume injection GC/MS for the analysis of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol in water

A new method comprising solid phase extraction (SPE) and subsequent large volume injection-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (LVI-GC/MS) was developed to analyze 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and geosmin in water. The method with an injection volume of 25 mu L showed a good linearity (i.e., R-2 > 0.999) over the concentration range of 0.5-20 ng L-1 and good repeatability and recovery. The MDLs of the method for 2-MIB and geosmin were determined as 0.87 and 0.62 ng L-1, respectively, which are lower than one tenth of the compounds' published odor thresholds (i.e., 5-10 ng L-1). If the injection volume was further increased, even lower MDLs could be obtained. In short, considering its ease of use, and high accuracy and sensitivity, the proposed SPE-LVI-GC/MS method can be easily applied for the routine analysis of the target compounds in water.