Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry applied to the analysis of natural and synthetic steroids in environmental waters

A multiresidue analytical method for the determination of the most common and biologically active natural and synthetic steroids (four estrogens: estriol, 17β-estradiol, 17α-ethynylestradiol, estrone; one progestagen: progesterone and six androgens: trenbolone, boldenone, nandrolone, testosterone, 17α-methyltestosterone, stanozolol) in environmental waters was developed. The analytes were isolated from water samples by solid phase extraction (SPE) utilizing a graphitized carbon black adsorbent (Carbograph-1). The final samples were analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (LC-APCI-MS-MS). Ionization was performed in a heated nebulizer (HN) interface operating in the positive ion mode. The protonated ions [M+H]+ and the dehydrated ions [M+H-H2O]+ (for estriol, 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, and 17α-ethynylestradiol) were used as precursor ion for collision-induced dissociation (CID), and two diagnostic prod...