title: Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography of polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
abstract: Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with micro electron-capture detection (GCxGC-muECD) was evaluated for the separation of 125 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). From among the six column combinations that were evaluated, DB-1x007-65HT 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. GCxGC-time-of-flight MS and GCxGC-muECD 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.
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute for Fisheries Research, IJmuiden. peter.korytar@wur.nl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Korytár
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Covaci
authors.forename: P E G
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Leonards
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: U A Th
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Brinkman
mesh_terms: D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods*; D010647:Phenyl Ethers / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D010647:Phenyl Ethers; D011075:Polybrominated Biphenyls