Synthesis of sulfonated naphthalene-formaldehyde condensates and their trace-analytical determination in wastewater and river water

Naphthalenesulfonates and their condensates with formaldehyde (SNFC) are widely used in industrial processes, e.g. as plasticizers for concrete or as tanning agents. Based on their high aqueous solubility these compounds are expected to be eliminated incompletely in mechanical-biologic- al treatment plants and to end up in the aquatic environment. Due to the lack of reference compounds the identification and quantification of these condensates in the aquatic environment was impossible in the past. This paper describes the synthesis of several condensates of 2-naphthalenesulfonate with formaldehyde. With the synthesized products as reference compounds it was possible for the first time to detect and quantify some sulfonated naphthalene-formaldehyde condensates in the aquatic environment. For this purpose characteristic peaks in the HPLC screening of wastewater and river water samples were compared with the corresponding peaks of a technical SNFC product. Three out of several paths on which these compounds enter the aquatic environment were identified. The identified compounds in the analyzed wastewater samples have concentrations between 0.14 and 110 µg/L.