Dioxin analysis by gas chromatography-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (GC-FTICRMS)

Vince Y Taguchi; Robert J Nieckarz; Ray E Clement; Stefan Krolik; Robert Williams

doi:10.1016/j.jasms.2010.07.010

Dioxin analysis by gas chromatography-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (GC-FTICRMS)

J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2010 Nov;21(11):1918-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jasms.2010.07.010. Epub 2010 Aug 2.

Authors

Vince Y Taguchi¹, Robert J Nieckarz, Ray E Clement, Stefan Krolik, Robert Williams

Affiliation

¹ Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. vince.taguchi@ontario.ca

PMID: 20727785
DOI: 10.1016/j.jasms.2010.07.010

Abstract

The feasibility of utilizing a gas chromatograph-tandem quadrupole-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS-FTICRMS) to analyze chlorinated-dioxins/furans (CDDs/CDFs) and mixed halogenated dioxins/furans (HDDs/HDFs) was investigated by operating the system in the GC-FTICRMS mode. CDDs/CDFs and mixed HDDs/HDFs could be analyzed at 50,000 to 100,000 resolving power (RP) on the capillary gas chromatographic time scale. Initial experiments demonstrated that 1 pg of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and 5 pg of 2-bromo-3,7,8-trichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (BTrCDD) could be detected. The feasibility of utilizing an FTICRMS for screening of CDDs/CDFs, HDDs/HDFs and related compounds was also investigated by analyzing an extract from vegetation exposed to fall-out from an industrial fire. CDDs/CDFs, chlorinated pyrenes and chlorinated tetracenes could be detected from a Kendrick plot analysis of the ultrahigh resolution mass spectra. Mass accuracies were of the order of 0.5 ppm on standards with external mass calibration and 1 ppm on a sample with internal mass calibration.