Determination of methylcyclopentadienylmanganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in gasoline and environmental samples by gas chromatography with helium microwave plasma atomic emission detection

A highly sensitive and specific method is described for the determination of methyl-cyclopentadienylmanganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in gasoline and environmental samples by gas chromatography-plasma atomic emission detection (GC-AED). The procedure is simple, rapid and free from interferences. The absolute limit of detection is 0.5 fg of MMT (0.5 x 10 -15 g) expressed as Mn. The precision for replicate injections (n=5) of an MMT solution (10 pg Mn) was 2.8% relative standard deviation (RSD). Applications of the method to analysis of gasoline (petrol), and preliminary results of the analyses of environmental samples such as air and roadside dirt, are given.