title: Characterization of an abundant and novel methyl- and methoxy-substituted brominated diphenyl ether isolated from whale blubber.
abstract: A previously unidentified yet abundant substituted polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) was isolated from a northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) found dead in the Skagerrak, North Sea. A combination of gas chromatography, high and low resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) ((1)H, (1)H-(1)H and (1)H-(13)C) after isolation with preparative capillary gas chromatography (PCGC) lead to the identification of the unknown substance as 6-MeO-5-Me-2,2',3,4'-tetrabromo diphenyl ether (6-MeO-5-Me-BDE42). To our knowledge this is only the second time PCGC has been used to isolate individual organohalogen compounds present in trace amounts for identification with NMR. The concentration of this novel bioaccumulated compound was estimated to be about 100 ng g(-1) lipid, which was 2.5 times higher compared with the most abundant MeO-PBDE congeners.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), Stockholm University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: Lillemor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Asplund
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.forename: Orjan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*; D014907:Whales
chemical_list: D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical