Method for the analysis of polybrominated diphenylethers in sediments and biota

• Published in: TrAC, Trends in analytical chemistry (Regular ed.) Vol. 20; no. 10; pp. 591 - 599
• Main Authors: de Boer, Jacob, Allchin, Colin, Law, Robin, Zegers, Bart, Boon, Jan P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.10.2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Analytical chemistry; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemistry; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas chromatographic methods; Gas chromatography; Intercomparison study; Marine and brackish environment; Mass spectrometry; Method development; Netherlands Institute for Fisheries Research; Polybrominated diphenylether; Rijksinstituut voor Visserijonderzoek; Gas chromatography; Intercomparison study; Polybrominated diphenylether; Method development; Mass spectrometry; Soxhlet extraction; Marine sediments; Chemical analysis; Ecotoxicology; Coupled method; Interlaboratory comparisons; Solvent extraction; Chemical ionization; Environmental control; Chemical enrichment; Chemical pollution; Multicomponent analysis; Bromine Organic compounds; Environmental monitoring; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 0165-9936; 1879-3142
• DOI: 10.1016/S0165-9936(01)00097-8

Three institutes worked together on the development and improvement of methods for the analysis of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in sediments and biota. The methods developed consist of a Soxhlet, Ultra Turrax* (biota) or shake-flask extraction (sediment) using hexane (or pentane)/acetone solvent mixtures, clean-up by alumina column chromatography or by gel permeation chromatography, further clean-up by silica gel column chromatography and treatment with sulphuric acid. Several alternatives for extraction and clean-up yielded similar results. The final determination is performed by GC/NCI-MS in the selected ion mode with m/ z values of both Br isotopes (79 and 81 occurring in a 1:1 ratio). For decaBDE the fragments m/ z 486.7 and 488.7 were also scanned. The coefficients of variation obtained with this method are between 10 and 35% for individual congeners, and comply at least with the international state-of-the-art for this type of analysis.