Large-volume programmed-temperature vaporiser injection for fast gas chromatography with electron capture and mass spectrometric detection of polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

A large volume injection fast-GC-MS method has been developed, optimized and evaluated for the determination of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, including the decabrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209). The programmed-temperature vaporiser injection parameters, temperature programming of the GC oven, and the physical dimensions of the narrow bore GC column were investigated to find the optimal operating conditions for the analysis. Depending on parameter settings the yield of the PBDEs and particularly BDE-209, varies significantly. Volumes up to 125 microl were successfully injected and a fast GC separation was performed, with retention times as short as 6.4 min for the last eluting compound, BDE-209. In a pilot study an air sample, collected at an electronics dismantling facility, was analyzed. Low-resolution mass spectrometry in electron capture negative ion mode was used for detection. Nine BDE congeners, including BDE-209, were identified and quantified.

Mass spectrometric characteristics of decabromodiphenyl ether and the application of isotopic dilution in the electron capture negative ionization mode for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

The mass spectrometric properties of (12)C-and (13)C-labeled decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in the low-resolution mass spectrometry electron capture negative ionization mode (ECNI-MS) is described in detail and are compared with those of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) with a lower degree of bromination. The mass spectrometric properties of BDE-209 make it possible to apply (13)C-labeled BDE-209 as an internal surrogate standard for the determination of BDE-209 by isotopic dilution. A combination of the [Br](-) and [C(6)Br(5)O](-) fragment ions is proposed for the detection with ECNI-MS in the selected ion monitoring mode to increase selectivity, sensitivity and accuracy in the determination of decabromodiphenyl ether together with other polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The importance of optimizing the instrument parameters to obtain optimal response from the mass spectrometer in the analysis of PBDEs is discussed in detail.