Abstract： A method for simultaneous determination of 16 kinds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography was established. Using acetonitrile as mobile phase, combined with soxhlet extraction and gradient elution,16 kinds of PAHs were effectively separated on C18 column. The effects of wavelength, gradient elution mode, flow rate and column temperature on the separation efficiency were investigated，the results showed that under the optimal experimental conditions, the separation effect of 16 kinds of PAHs were separated effectively, the resolution was in the range of 1.00 ~ 8.90, the detection limit of the method was in the range of 3 ~ 5 μg/kg, the average spiking recovery rate was in the range of 82.4% ~ 105%, and the relative standard deviation was in the range of 3.2% ~ 8.3%. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) has been successfully applied to the analysis of PAHs in soil samples of environmental protection enterprises, and achieved satisfactory results.
