Abstract
Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with micro electron-capture detection (GC x GC-μECD) was evaluated for the separation of 125 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). From among the six column combinations that were evaluated, DB-1 x 007-65HT was found to be the most suitable because of: (i) the highest number of BDE congeners separated; (ii) the least decomposition of higher brominated congeners; and (iii) the most suitable maximum operating temperature. The separation of the 125 BDE congeners from five hydroxy- and two methoxy-BDEs and nine other brominated flame retardants (polybrominated biphenyls, tetrabromobisphenol-A, methyl-tetrabromobisphenol-A and hexabromocyclododecane) was also studied. Fluorinated BDEs were found to be valuable internal standards for the determination of BDEs because of their very similar physico-chemical properties and excellent separation from the parent BDEs, mainly in the second dimension. GC x GC-time-of-flight MS and GC x GC-μECD were shown to be useful tools to identify decomposition products of nona- and deca-substituted BDEs, which are formed during the GC run. Three nona-BDEs were shown to be the major decomposition products of BDE 209.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 200-207 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Chromatography A |
| Volume | 1100 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Dec 2005 |
Funding
The authors gratefully acknowledge Accustandard (New Haven, CT, USA) for providing the individual BDE standards, Dr. Gregor Luthe from Chiron (Trondheim, Norway) for providing fluorinated BDE standards and Professor Åke Bergman from the Department for Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University (Stockholm, Sweden) for providing hydroxy- and methoxy-BDEs.
Keywords
- Brominated flame retardants
- Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography
- Decomposition
- Fluorinated brominated diphenyl ethers
- GC x GC
- Polybrominated diphenyl ethers
