| Abstract
| - A simple and sensitive analytical procedure was developed to determine the concentration of trifluoroacetic acid(TFA) in plant, soil, and water samples. The analysisinvolves extraction of TFA by sulfuric acid and methanolfollowed by derivatization to the methyl ester of TFA(MTFA). This is accomplished within a single vial withoutcomplex extraction procedures. The highly volatile MTFAis then analyzed using headspace gas chromatography.The spike recovery trials from all media ranged from alow of 86.7% to a high of 121.4%. The relative standarddeviations (RSDs) were typically below 10%, althoughsome tests had higher RSDs due to low concentrationsnear the detectable limit. The minimum detectable limit(MDL) for the method was 34 ng/g for dry plant material,0.20 ng/g for soil, and 6.5 ng/L for water. This is the firstpractical method for low-level analysis of TFA in plantsand soil, and it is a significant improvement over previousmethods for TFA in water.
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