Application of solid‐phase microextraction to the determination of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles in Bohai Sea crude oils

A simple and rapid solid‐phase microextraction approach for the isolation of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles from the aromatic fraction of crude oil is described. 8‐Hydroxyquinoline silica gel impregnated with palladium chloride was used as a sorbent material for extraction. Operational parameters of the extraction solvents have been evaluated and optimized. Benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2‐d]thiophene and their C₁–C₄ alkyl derivatives were identified and quantified by GC–MS. Under optimum conditions, the limits of detection for benzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, and benzo[b]naphtho[1,2‐d]thiophene were 0.277, 0.193, and 0.597 μg/g oil, respectively. The recoveries for the polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles ranged from 81.5 to 92.1%, and the linear dynamic range was from 10 to 1000 ng/mL. The developed methodology was tested in the characterization of crude oil samples collected at the DY, SZ, ZH, and HC petroleum oil fields of the Bohai Sea. The results proved that SPE coupled with GC–MS is a promising tool for the quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles in crude oils, especially for oil samples with low concentrations of polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles.     

SFE of PAHs from soils with a high carbon content and analyte collection via combined liquid/solid trapping

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recovered from a soil with a high carbon content (ca. 50%) with supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) as well as with conventional Soxhlet extraction. The influence of temperature and modifier volume on SFE efficiency and the effect of a combined liquid/solid trap for analyte collection are investigated in this study. Such traps, which make analyte collection and clean-up possible in one step, are compared with conventional analyte collection in pure organic solvents. A comparison between reproducibility and efficiency of SFE and Soxhlet extraction is presented.     

Experimental comparison of performance and emission characteristics of 4-stroke CI engine operated with Roselle and Jatropha biodiesel blends

The environmental degradation, combined with the continuous depletion of the world's fossil fuel reserves, has forced the search for alternative fuels. This study was performed to investigate the performance of novel biodiesels in the CI engine. The experiments were performed at three different compressions ratios (16:1, 17:1, 18:1) and four loading conditions (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%). Different types of fuels such as jatropha biodiesel (JB), roselle biodiesel (RB), and ternary biodiesel (TB) were prepared and analyzed. The thermal performance of different fuels was analyzed in terms of brake thermal efficiency (BTE), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and exhaust gas temperature (EGT). The emission characteristics such as CO₂ emission, NO_x emission, and smoke emission were analyzed for all types of fuels. The results of these fuels in the engine were compared with mineral diesel (MD). The BTE was increased with increasing compression ratios and loads for all types of fuels. The BSFC was increased with increasing compression ratios but decreased with increasing loads. The increase in emission of NO_x was observed at higher compression ratios and loads. However, the CO₂ emission was decreased at higher loads and lower compression ratio. The performance curves achieved with a 20% jatropha biodiesel blend showed results that were approximate to those obtained with pure MD. The comparative analysis between different fuels showed that JB exhibit higher thermal performance as compared to other biodiesels. Therefore, JB can be a better alternative to conventional fuel.     

Selective Formation of Indene through the Reaction of Benzyl Radicals with Acetylene

The combustion of fossil fuels forms polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) composed of five‐ and six‐ membered aromatic rings, such as indene (C₉H₈), which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, and deleterious to the environment. Indene, the simplest PAH with single five‐ and six‐membered rings, has been predicted theoretically to be formed through the reaction of benzyl radicals with acetylene. Benzyl radicals are found in significant concentrations in combustion flames, owing to their highly stable aromatic and resonantly stabilized free‐radical character. We provide compelling experimental evidence that indene is synthesized through the reaction of the benzyl radical (C₇H₇) with acetylene (C₂H₂) under combustion‐like conditions at 600 K. The mechanism involves an initial addition step followed by cyclization and aromatization through atomic hydrogen loss. This reaction was found to form the indene isomer exclusively, which, in conjunction with the high concentrations of benzyl and acetylene in combustion environments, indicates that this pathway is the predominant route to synthesize the prototypical five‐ and six‐membered PAH.     

Gas-Chromatographic Determination of Organic Compounds in Water with the Use of Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Procedures were developed for the determination of some organic compounds (n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, Cl,P,N-pesticides, phthalic acid esters, chlorophenols, aliphatic acids, and methyl esters of aliphatic acids) in water on the basis of direct supercritical fluid extraction with the subsequent gas-chromatographic analysis of the entire extract without using organic solvents. The detection limits were 10^–11–10^–7% depending on the nature of the analyte.     

Capillary GC analysis of diesel fuels using simultaneous parallel triple detection

Diesel fuels from different parts of the UK have been analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), nitrogen-containing PAH, and sulfur-containing PAH using capillary column GC with simultaneous parallel triple detection. The concentrations of polyaromatic compounds (PAC) were high and showed considerable variability amongst the fuels. The PAH are mainly naphthalene, fluorene, and phenanthrene and their alkylated homologs; the PANH are mainly carbazole and its methyl derivatives; the PASH are mainly dibenzothiophene and its methyl derivatives.     

Analysis of thermal and oxidative stability of biodiesel from Jatropha curcas L. and beef tallow

The oxidation of oils and biodiesels occurs due to several factors: the quantity of double bonds and the presence of allylic and bis-allylic hydrogens. Esters (biodiesel) that have large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids are more susceptible to oxidation than saturated. The aim of this work was to analyze the thermal and oxidative stability of ethyl biodiesel from Jatropha curcas L. and beef tallow by thermogravimetric, pressure differential scanning calorimetry, and PetroOxy methods. The samples of biodiesel from beef tallow present higher oxidation stability compared to biodiesel from J. curcas. In relation to calorimetric curves of biodiesel from J. curcas and beef tallow stored by 60 days without and with antioxidant, there was verified displacement of peak temperature of the transition to higher temperatures, respectively. Just a sample of biodiesel from beef tallow stored for 60 days with 3,000 ppm of antioxidant t-butyl-hydroxyquinone was within the standard established by Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP). The biodiesel from beef tallow was more stable in terms of thermal and oxidative stability than biodiesel from J. curcas. The thermal and oxidative stability of biodiesel depends on its chemical structure; this corroborates the fact that the oils with a predominance of saturated fatty acids are more stable than the unsaturated.     

An Organic Synthesis Laboratory Exercise: Preparation of 2-Methoxyanthracene

2-Methoxyanthracene (target), a non-natural polycyclic aromatic compound, was obtained from the commercially available phthalic anhydride (starting material) through familiar reactions but a new approach.     

Quantification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Avian Dried Blood Spots by Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography with Simple Liquid Extraction and Phospholipid Solid-phase Extraction Preparation

Here, a simple, reliable method for the quantification of the 16 EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in dried blood spots is outlined using liquid extraction and phospholipid solid-phase sample cleanup coupled with analysis by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet–visible detection. Whole blood spotted on Whatman FTA cards was efficiently quantified by extraction into acidified methanol and passed through a phospholipid solid-phase extraction well plate before injection into a liquid chromatography under reverse-phase conditions. The analyte recoveries in quality control samples ranged from 63.4 to 104.1%, with relative standard deviations from 0.48 to 2.04%. These figures of merit are comparable with measurements in whole blood or serum using similar techniques. The method detection limits were from 45.0?ng·g^?1 for benzo[g,h,i]perylene to 118.7?ng·g^?1 for chrysene, with matrix spike recoveries from 64.3 to 99.4%, demonstrating acceptable sensitivity and low matrix interference. With a simple liquid extraction approach and short 16-min liquid chromatography, the dried blood spots were effectively and rapidly analyzed.     

Methodology for Bioassay-Directed Fractionation Studies of Air Particulate Material and Other Complex Environmental Matrices

Abstract

A normal phase HPLC methodology using a semi-preparative polyaminocyano column in conjunction with a selection of short-term genotoxicity assays has been developed for bioassay-directed fractionation studies of complex environmental mixtures. To illustrate the effectiveness of this methodology, an organic extract prepared from respirable air particulate samples collected in Hamilton, Canada was separated into a non-polar aromatic fraction and a polar aromatic fraction using a combination of alumina and Sephadex LH20 chromatography. These fractions were evaluated for their genotoxic potential using the Salmonella/microsome (Ames) assay with six different strains of Salmonella.

The non-polar aromatic fraction was analyzed by normal phase HPLC and the eluent was collected in one-minute subfractions; these subtractions were bioassayed in three different Salmonella strains (YG1021 -S9, YG1024 -S9 and YG1029 +S9) to afford three different mutation profiles of this sample. Some subfractions which exhibited high mutagenic responses were subjected to further chemical analyses using GC/MS in order to identify those compounds responsible for the genotoxic responses. The nitroarene compounds 2-nitrofluoranthene, 1-nitropyrene and 2-nitropyrene and higher molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo[a]pyrene and indeno[l,2,3-cd]pyrene were identified and quantified in some of the biologically active subfractions. The normal phase gradient conditions afforded very reproducible retention times for a series of polycyclic aromatic standards with a broad range of compound polarities. In addition, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were observed to elute from the normal phase HPLC column in a series of peaks; successive peaks contained PAH of increasing molecular weight while any individual peak was shown to contain PAH of the same molecular weight.     

Procedure for and results of simultaneous determination of aromatic hydrocarbons and fatty acid methyl esters in diesel fuels by high performance liquid chromatography

The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels is regulated by appropriate standards, and a further reduction in the allowed concentration of these hazardous substances in these fuels is expected. The content of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels is most often determined using standard methods EN-12916 or ASTM D-6591. The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is determined from a single peak obtained using normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (NP-HPLC), a column of the NH2 type, n-heptane as the eluent, refractive index detector (RID) and backflushing of the eluent. However, the methods mentioned above cannot be applied when the fuel contains fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), which lately has become more common. The content of FAME in diesel oils is determined using mid-IR spectrophotometry based on the absorption of carbonyl group. However, no standard procedure for the determination of classes of aromatic hydrocarbons in diesel fuels containing FAME is yet available. The present work describes such a modification of methods EN-12916/ASTM D-6591 that provides a simultaneous determination of individual groups of aromatic hydrocarbons, total content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the FAME content in diesel fuels. The refractive index detector (RID) and n-heptane as the mobile phase are still used, but backflushing of the eluent is applied after the elution of all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Additionally, ultraviolet diode array detection is used for the exact determination of low contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and to confirm the presence of FAME in the analyzed fuel.     

Analysis of organic pollutants in water at trace levels using fully automated solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary A method has been developed for the determination of trace levels of 32 pesticides, 19 explosives and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in water in three individual steps. Solid-phase enrichment (SPE) is coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fully automated system. The organic pollutants are enriched on reusable cartridges packed with adsorbent materials: pesticides and explosives on a mixed bed of divinylbenzene-ethylvinylbenzene copolymers (LiChrolut EN^?) and perfluorinated polyethylene (PolyF^?), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on C₁₈-modified silica (Zorbax^? ODS1). Thermally assisted desorption (TAD) has been shown to increase the recovery of analytes significantly. As all enriched analytes are transferred to the detector, only fifty millilitres of sample is needed for each single on-line analysis, compared with at least a litre for conventional methods. The separation of the enriched organic analytes is performed on specialized HPLC columns based on reversed-phase materials. The limits of detection of the system employed were found to be below 100 ng L⁻¹. Use of fluorescence detection for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons resulted in limits of detection in the upper pg L⁻¹ range. Thek values, number of theoretical plates, the recovery rates and the limits of detection of this method for fast screening of organic pollutants from three fifty-millilitre aqueous samples are described. Presented at the 21^st ISC held in Stuttgart, Germany, 15^th–20^th September, 1996     

Characterization and Identification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Diesel Particulate Matter

Emission of toxic exhaust from diesel engines is one of the major problems associated with the use of petroleum fuels. Particulate matter emission is perceived as a major pollutant, detrimental to the human health and environment, and has led to considerable study. Vehicular emissions comprise toxic pollutants that include unburnt hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, and others. In this study, experiments have been carried out with the objective of determining overall particulate matter chemical composition and size. Electron microscopic images of the emitted soot were studied for average particle size distribution. More than 50 percent of the particles were in the range of 25 to 35 nanometers. Approximately 7, 9, 16, and 5 percent of the measured particles were from 35 to 40, 40 to 45, 45 to 50, and 50 to 55 nanometers, respectively. Determined elements were Al, Ba, Ca, K, Mg, Ti, Zn, and Zr at concentrations of 727, 53, 1100, 701, 1145, 638, 177, and 800 micrograms per milliliter respectively. Fifteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in the extracts of filters and their concentrations were estimated. This investigation allows the comparison of particulate matter from different fuels and their blends.     

Quantum-chemical study on nitrosonium complexes of Bi- and polycyclic aromatic compounds

The affinities of bi- and polycyclic aromatic compounds for nitrosonium ion (A_NO⁺ A_{NO^ + } ) were calculated at the RI-MP2/L1 and DFT/PBE/3z levels of theory. Both methods gave generally similar geometric parameters of nitrosonium complexes. The formation of pincer complexes in which the NO⁺ ion is linked to two aromatic rings is more energetically favorable than the formation of analogous complexes through external binding of NO⁺ to one aromatic ring. Linear correlations were found between the calculated A_NO⁺ A_{NO^ + } values of aromatic compounds and experimental equilibrium constants for the reactions of these compounds with nitrosonium ion in solution. Structural peculiarities of the examined nitrosonium complexes are discussed.     

Determination of trace hydroxyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine using graphene oxide incorporated monolith solid‐phase extraction coupled with LC‐MS/MS

The biomonitoring of hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine, as a direct way to access multiple exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, has raised great concerns due to their increasing hazardous health effects on humans. Solid‐phase extraction is an effective and useful technique to preconcentrate trace analytes from biological samples. Here, we report a novel solid‐phase extraction method using a graphene oxide incorporated monolithic syringe for the determination of six hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine coupled with liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. The effect of graphene oxide amount, washing solvent, eluting solvent, and its volume on the extraction performance were investigated. The fabricated monoliths gave higher adsorption efficiency and capacity than the neat polymer monolith and commercial C₁₈ sorbent. Under the optimum conditions, the developed method provided the detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.02–0.1 ng/mL and the linear ranges of 0.1–1500 ng/mL for six analytes in urine sample. The recoveries at three spiked levels ranged from 77.5 to 97.1%. Besides, the intra column‐to‐column (n = 3) and inter batch‐to‐batch (n = 3) precisions were ≤ 9.8%. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of hydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in urine samples of coke oven workers.     

On-line LC-GC-AED and LC-GC-MS – multidimensional methods for the analysis of PAC in fuels,combustion emissions and atmospheric samples

The composition and concentration of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) in fuels. Theier combustion products and in the atmosphere remains a topic of considerable interest. Despite the wealth of literature on the identification of PAC, speciation at low concentrations remains difficult due to instrument limitation and the complexity of fuel and environmental samples. Consequently on line sample preparation procedures (SPE, SFE, LC, etc.) are becomeing an increasingly important step in the analysis procedure particularly where sample clean-up and fractionation are essential for improving analytical resolution. In this study a normal phase high pressure analytical resolution. In this study a normal phase high pressure liquid chromatography-gas chromatography (LC-GC) system has been developed to provide quantitative analysis of samples, as diverse as coal liquids, petroleum fuels, diesel exhaust particulates, and urban air particulates. Separation and identification of parent and alkylated PAH, hetercycline nitro-and oxy-PAC can be achieved by direct coupling to an atomic emission detector and a bech top mass spectrometer. For both systems the primary LC separation combined with the large sample volume transferred to GC vastly improves detection limits. Furthermore the complimentary nature of the two detectors used enables the positive indentification of many unknowns.     

Determination and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in native vegetable oils,smoked fish products,mussels and oysters,and bream from the river Elbe

Twenty eight native vegetable oils were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Generally PAH concentrations were low, but olive oils showed significantly higher contamination by light PAH ranging from 53 to 105.6 μg/kg. Muscle and liver samples of bream from the river Elbe contained little or no detectable amounts of PAH, whereas fresh and canned oysters and mussels showed higher contaminations. Highest PAH concentrations have been determined in “smoked oysters in oil” with 75.8 μg/kg benzo[a] pyrene for the oil and 12.2 μg/kg for the oyster meat.     

Simulation of the formation and degradation of polycyclic aromatic compounds under the action of ionizing radiation

The effectiveness of the electron-beam removal of harmful impurities from gases was studied as applied to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. A kinetic model of the process was constructed for the formation and degradation of aromatic molecules under the action of ionizing radiation in high-temperature (T>400 K) and low-temperature (T350 K) regions. Conditions under which the concentrations of the test compounds were effectively decreased were found with the use of this model.Translated from Khimiya Vysokikh Energii, Vol. 39, No. 2, 2005, pp. 88–92.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Gerasimov.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

An in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device packed with etched steel wires for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons enrichment in water samples

A novel, low‐cost and effective in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device was developed for the enrichment of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples. The in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be easily assembled by inserting hydrofluoric acid‐etched wires, which were used as adsorbent, into a 22‐gauge needle tube within spring supporters. Compared with the commercial solid‐phase microextraction fiber, the developed device has higher efficiency for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings from water samples using the optimized extraction conditions. With gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector, the limits of detection for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with four to six rings ranged from 0.0020 to 0.0067 ng/mL. The relative standard deviations for one needle and needle‐to‐needle extractions were in the range of 5.2–9.9% (n = 5) and 3.4–12.3% (n = 5), respectively. The spiked recoveries of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water samples ranged from 73.2 to 95.4%. This in‐needle solid‐phase microextraction device could be a good field sampler because of the low sample loss over a long storage time.     

Development and optimization of an HPLC–DAD method for quantification of six petroleum hydrocarbon compounds in aqueous samples

Benzene, toluene, and xylene isomers (BTXs) and pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are common pollutants found in many industrial effluents and in aquifers due to fossil fuels spill from underground storage reservoirs. For these reasons, the determination of these compounds has gained importance in the last decades. In this work, a simultaneous, fast, and accurate quantification of six petroleum hydrocarbon compounds (such as BTXs, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene) using a high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector method has been demonstrated. The proposed method is suitable for the direct aqueous sample evaluation and also brings advantages, including the use of small volumes of organic solvents, with high resolution, reducing the analysis cost. The method was also checked using synthetic and real samples, including those containing surfactants, commercial gasoline, and river water samples spiked with petroleum hydrocarbon compounds.