Non-target analysis of environmental samples based on liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS)

The existing target analytical methods described in the literature only cover a tiny fraction of the large number of compounds present in environmental samples. As a result, many potential chemical stressors are systematically omitted and there is an urgent need of analytical methodologies capable of detecting and identifying compounds using nontarget methods. In this regard, high resolution mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography (LC-HRMS) has opened up new windows of opportunity for the detection of polar organic contaminants in complex samples. The objective of this chapter is to provide a critical overview of the state-of-the-art of the application of LC-HRMS to the nontarget analysis of organic contaminants in environmental samples. The existing methodologies and the different prioritisation strategies as well as workflows to characterise unknown organic pollutants are evaluated.