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Development of methodology for the determination of carbon isotope ratios using gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry and applications in the biodegradation of phenolic brominated flame retardants and their degradation products
Author(s) -
Xiong Jukun,
Li Guiying,
An Taicheng
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.7072
Subject(s) - chemistry , bstfa , derivatization , isotope ratio mass spectrometry , gas chromatography , mass spectrometry , tetrabromobisphenol a , environmental chemistry , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry , isotopes of carbon , chromatography , trimethylsilyl , carbon fibers , organic chemistry , total organic carbon , materials science , fire retardant , composite number , composite material
RATIONALE Compound‐specific stable carbon isotope analysis of phenolic brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and bisphenol A (BPA) has proven informative to discriminate their source and fate apportionment in the environment. However, because these compounds contain highly polar functional groups and exist as complex mixtures in environment matrices, derivatization is a necessary step, which adds additional non‐analyte carbon atoms for analyses and may alter the original stable carbon isotope ratio. It is, therefore, imperative to gain an insight into the relationship between the δ 13 C values of the BFRs and BPA derivatives and those of underivatized BFRs and BPA. METHODS The δ 13 C values of BFRs and BPA N , O ‐bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) derivatives were measured by gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS). The δ 13 C values of the BSTFA reagent and the standard underivatized BFRs and BPA were determined using elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS). The experimentally obtained δ 13 C values for BFRs and BPA derivatives were then compared with the theoretically calculated values. RESULTS The derivatization process introduces no isotopic fractionation for BFRs and BPA (the average difference between the theoretically calculated and experimentally obtained δ 13 C values was 0.06 ± 0.15‰, within the precision limits of the GC/C/IRMS measurements). Therefore, the δ 13 C values for the original underivatized BFRs and BPA were computed through a mass balance equation. CONCLUSIONS This work offers a novel tool to research the biotic or abiotic transformation processes of BFRs and BPA in the environment and will offer a perspective for the identification of the environmental source and fate of these organic compounds. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.