Analysis of Bromate in Drinking Water Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry without Sample Pretreatment

An analytical method for determining bromate in drinking water was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The 18O-enriched bromate was used as an internal standard. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of bromate was 0.2 µg/L. The peak of bromate was separated from those of coexisting ions (i.e., chloride, nitrate and sulfate). The relative and absolute recoveries of bromate in two drinking water samples and in a synthesized ion solution (100 mg/L chloride, 10 mg N/L nitrate, and 100 mg/L sulfate) were 99 – 105 and 94 – 105%, respectively. Bromate concentrations in 11 drinking water samples determined by LC-MS/MS were <0.2 – 2.3 µg/L. The results of the present study indicated that the proposed method was suitable for determining bromate concentrations in drinking water without sample pretreatment.