Analytical Sciences

Polychlorinated Aromatic Hydrocarbons in a Soil Sample Measured Using Gas Chromatography/Multiphoton Ionization/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Nami NAKAMURA,* Tomohiro UCHIMURA,*,**,*** Yuka WATANABE-EZOE,* and Totaro IMASAKA*,**

*Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
**Division of Translational Research, Center for Future Chemistry, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
***Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui 910-8507, Japan

Gas chromatography/multiphoton ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/MPI/TOF-MS) was applied to a soil sample to survey several groups of polychlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), polychlorinated diphenylethers (PCDEs), and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs)). The signal peaks in the two-dimensional display of GC/MS could be easily and accurately assigned from the intensity distribution of the isotope peaks, even in the presence of numerous interfering species. Using this technology, mutual interferences between organochlorine compounds can be readily recognized from the data of the two-dimensional display after a measurement, although the separation of these compounds is sometimes difficult using high-resolution magnetic-sector-type mass spectrometry. This approach, based on MPI, results in less fragmentation, and is useful for the identification of analytes. Thus, GC/MPI/TOF-MS allows for the simultaneous determination of PCDD/Fs and related compounds in real samples containing numerous interfering species.

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