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Effect of pH on the Analysis of 2-MIB and Geosmin in Water

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Abstract

2-Methylisoborneol (2-MIB) and trans-1,10-dimethyl-trans-9-decalol (geosmin) are two commonly observed taste and odor compounds present in drinking water sources. The effects of pH on the analysis of the two chemicals are investigated using a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometric detector (GC/MSD) coupled with three pre-concentration methods, namely solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME), purge-and-trap concentration (PTC), and liquid–liquid extraction (LLE). At neutral and alkaline pH conditions, the concentrations detected for both compounds remain constant. However, a substantial reduction of concentration for both chemicals is observed when the water solution pH is less than 5. Under acidic conditions (pH ≅ 2.5), the 2-MIB concentrations detected by GC/MSD coupled with SPME, PTC, and LLE are 87%, 16%, and 37% lower than those measured at pH 6–7, respectively. For geosmin, a decrease in concentration is only observed when using GC/MSD-SPME, presumably due to the higher extraction temperature compared to the other two techniques. The pH-dependent behavior was attributed to dehydration of the tertiary alcohols of 2-MIB and geosmin under acidic conditions. The dehydration for 2-MIB and geosmin is reversible, and the analysis can be mitigated by adjusting the water solution pH back to a neutral condition.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan, under Grant Number 98-EC-17-A-10-S2-0066.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan

    Wen-Hsing Hsieh & Tsair-Fuh Lin

  2. Sustainable Environment Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70955, Taiwan

    Wei-Nung Hung & Tsair-Fuh Lin

  3. Institute of Environmental Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan

    Gen-Shuh Wang & Shu-Ting Hsieh

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  1. Wen-Hsing Hsieh
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  2. Wei-Nung Hung
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  3. Gen-Shuh Wang
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  4. Shu-Ting Hsieh
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  5. Tsair-Fuh Lin
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Correspondence to Tsair-Fuh Lin.

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Hsieh, WH., Hung, WN., Wang, GS. et al. Effect of pH on the Analysis of 2-MIB and Geosmin in Water. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 715–721 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0896-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-0896-4

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