Greening procedures and analytical parameters. The polychlorinated naphthalenes analysis in complex matrices as proof of concept

Due to the complexity of analytical procedures employed for the determination of wide spectrum of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), it is important to consider the green character of the applied protocols and propose the greenest solutions. In this review, the green aspects of several analytical procedures used for the determination of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) (as a representatives of POPs) in different types of samples were evaluated using different green analytical tools, the Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI) and the Analytical GREEnness Metric Approach for sample preparation (AGREEprep). A clear differences were observed in the increase in greenness of the various stages of the analytical procedure. The extraction, purification as well as the preconcentration of analytes were identified as the most sensitive and most influential stage in terms of greenness, but also in terms of the quality/reliability of the obtained research results by applying a given analytical procedure.