Simultaneous analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated naphthalenes by isotope dilution comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) are listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention. Because they have similar physical and chemical properties, they are coeluted and are usually analyzed separately by different gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) methods. In this study, a novel method was developed for simultaneous analysis of six indicator PCBs, 12 dioxin-like PCBs, and 16 PCNs using isotope dilution comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-HRTOF-MS). The method parameters, including the type of GC column, oven temperature program, and modulation period, were systematically optimized. Complete separation of all target analytes and the matrix was achieved with a DB-XLB column in the first dimension and a BPX-70 column in the second dimension. The isotope dilution method was used for quantification of the PCBs and PCNs by GC × GC-HRTOF-MS. The method showed good linearity from 5 to 500 pg μL⁻¹ for all the target compounds. The instrumental limit of detection ranged from 0.03 to 0.3 pg μL⁻¹ for the 18 PCB congeners and from 0.09 to 0.6 pg μL⁻¹ for the 16 PCN congeners. Repeatability for triplicate injections was always lower than 20%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of 18 PCBs present at 0.9–2054 pg g⁻¹ and 16 PCNs present at 0.2–15.7 pg g⁻¹ in three species of fish. The GC × GC-HRTOF-MS results agreed with those obtained by GC-HRMS. The GC × GC-HRTOF-MS method proved to be a sensitive and accurate technique for simultaneous analysis of the selected PCBs and PCNs. With the excellent chromatographic separation offered by GC × GC and accurate mass measurements offered by HRTOF-MS, this method allowed identification of non-target contaminants in the fish samples, including organochlorine pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

同位素稀释-高分辨气相色谱/高分辨质谱测定大气中有机氯农药

建立了测定大气中25种有机氯农药(OCPs)的同位素稀释-高分辨气相色谱/高分辨质谱法(ID-HRGC/HRMS).样品用正己烷/二氯甲烷(1:1,v/v)进行加速溶剂萃取(ASE).通过柱洗脱实验、单柱和组合柱净化实验,最终确定样品的净化方案为弗罗里硅土固相萃取柱和石墨化炭黑固相萃取柱组合净化.样品萃取液净化后进行H...     

同位素稀释气相色谱-离子阱二级质谱法测定牛奶中残留的二恶英类多氯联苯

建立了气相色谱-离子阱二级质谱(GC-MS/MS)测定牛奶中12种二恶英类多氯联苯残留的分析方法。样品经冷冻干燥处理后用加速溶剂萃取方法提取、多层硅胶柱净化和GC-MS/MS测定。目标化合物先用二氯甲烷-正己烷-丙酮(体积比为4:4:2)混合溶剂在150 ℃和10.3 MPa条件下循环提取,再经酸性硅胶、硅胶和碱性硅胶复合柱净化及正己烷洗脱,最后用DB-5毛细管柱分离、电子轰击电离源(35 eV)多反应监测模式检测,同位素稀释内标法定量(定量离子为［M+2-72］+和［M+2-70］+)。12种化合物的标准曲线的线性相关系数均大于0.9999,线性范围为0.2～400 pg/μL;同位素内标的回收率范围为39%～129%,相对标准偏差为5%～22%;方法的检出限(以脂肪含量计)为3～11 pg/g。     

Determination of melamine in milk powder using gas chromatography-high-resolution isotope dilution mass spectrometry

A GC-high-resolution isotope dilution MS (IDMS) method for the quantification of melamine in milk powder is described. The developed technique is compared to the LC-IDMS/MS technique, typically used for the determination of melamine in various matrices. The accuracy of the GC-high-resolution IDMS method was demonstrated when a small degree of equivalence was obtained in a regional comparative study involving the determination of melamine in milk powder.     

Simultaneous determination of itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole in human plasma by liquid chromatography–isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry method

A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography–isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for quantification of itraconazole (ITZ) and its active metabolite hydroxyitraconazole (OH‐ITZ ) in human plasma. The plasma samples were extracted with tert‐butyl methyl ether and two isotope‐labeled internal standards (D5‐itraconazole and D5‐hydroxyitraconazole) were used. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Capcell Pak C₁₈ MG III (100 × 2 mm, 5 µm, Shiseido). The protonated ions of analytes were detected in positive ionization in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The plasma method has a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL with a linearity range of 1–500 ng/mL for ITZ and OH‐ITZ using 100 µL of plasma. The recoveries of the method were found to be 69.47–71.98% for ITZ and 75.68–82.52% for OH‐ITZ. The intra‐ and inter‐batch precision was less than 11% for all quality control samples at concentrations of 2.5, 200 and 400 ng/mL. These results indicate that the method was efficient with a short run time (4.5 min) and acceptable accuracy, precision and sensitivity.The validated method was successfully applied to analysis of human plasma samples in pharmacokinetics study. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of mono-, di- and tributyltin in environmental samples using isotope dilution gas chromatography mass spectrometry

The development of a rapid, precise and accurate speciation method for the simultaneous determination of mono-, di- and tributyltin in environmental samples is described. The method is based on using isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with electron ionization, a widely used technique in routine testing laboratories. A mixed spike containing (119)Sn-enriched monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and tributyltin (TBT) was used for the isotope dilution of the samples. Five molecular ions were monitored for each analyte, corresponding to the (116)Sn, (117)Sn, (118)Sn, (119)Sn and (120)Sn isotopes. The detection at masses corresponding to (116)Sn and (117)Sn were used to correct for m + 1 and m + 2 contributions of (13)C from the organic groups attached to the tin atom on the (118)Sn, (119)Sn and (120)Sn masses with simple mathematical equations and the concentrations of the butyltin compounds were calculated based on the corrected (118)Sn/(119)Sn and (120)Sn/(119)Sn isotope ratios. The (119)Sn-enriched multispecies spike was applied with satisfactory results to the simultaneous determination of MBT, DBT and TBT in three certified reference materials: two sediments, PACS-2 and BCR 646, and the mussel tissue CRM 477. The method was compared with a previously published GC/inductively coupled plasma MS isotope dilution procedure, developed in our laboratory, by injecting the same samples into both instruments. Comparable analytical results in terms of precision and accuracy are demonstrated for both atomic and molecular mass spectrometric detectors. Thus, reliable quantitative organotin speciation analysis can be achieved using the more widespread and inexpensive GC/MS instrument.     

Simultaneous determination of estrogenic and androgenic hormones in water by isotope dilution gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analytical method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 7 estrogenic hormones (17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, estrone, mestranol, 17α-ethynylestradiol, levonorgestrel, estriol) and 5 androgenic hormones (testosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione) in aqueous matrices. This method is unique in its inclusion of all 12 of these estrogens and androgens and is of particular value due to its very short chromatographic run time of 15 min. The use of isotope dilution for all analytes ensures the accurate quantification, accounting for analytical variabilities that may be introduced during sample processing and instrumental analysis. Direct isotopically labelled analogues were used for 8 of the 12 hormones and satisfactory isotope standards were identified for the remaining 4 hormones. Method detection levels (MDLs) were determined to describe analyte concentrations sufficient to provide a signal with 99% certainty of detection. The established MDLs for most analytes were 1-5 ngL(-1) in a variety of aqueous matrices. However, slightly higher MDLs were observed for etiocholanolone, androstenedione, testosterone, levonorgestrel and dihydrotestosterone in some aqueous matrices. Sample matrices were observed to have only a minor impact on MDLs and the method validation confirmed satisfactory method stability over intra-day and inter-day analyses of surface water and tertiary treated effluent samples.     

Simultaneous determination of trimethyl-and triethyllead in urban dust by species-specific isotope dilution/gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Both (206)Pb-labeled trimethyllead (TML) and triethyllead (TEL) were synthesized from (206)Pb-enriched metallic Pb certified reference material (NIST SRM 983) and iodomethane or iodoethane through a one-process reaction in a closed system using centrifuge tubes, respectively. Organolead compounds in an urban dust reference material (BCR CRM 605) were extracted with an acetic acid/methanol (1:1) solution, which was mechanically shaken for 24 h. After adjusting the pH of the extracted solution to pH 5, the extracted organolead compounds were derivatized by tetrabutylammonium tetrabutylborate (TATB) and measured with GC-ICPMS. The analytical results of TML and TEL for BCR CRM 605 were 8.22 +/- 0.04 microg kg(-1) (mean +/- standard deviation, n = 3) and 1.12 +/- 0.06 microg kg(-1), respectively. The analytical results of TML agreed well with the certified value (7.9 +/- 1.2 microg kg(-1)).     

Simultaneous determination of serine enantiomers in plasma using Mosher's reagent and stable isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

D-Serine is a co-agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in glutamate neurotransmission and has been proposed as a potential therapeutic agent for schizophrenia. However, D-serine also acts as a nephrotoxic substance in rats at high doses. To investigate the pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of D-serine, a method for the stereoselective determination of serine enantiomers in rat plasma was developed using GC-MS with selected ion monitoring (GC-MS-SIM). DL-[(2)H(3)]Serine was used as an internal standard to account for losses associated with the extraction, derivatization and chromatography. Serine enantiomers were purified by cation-exchange chromatography using BondElut SCX cartridge and derivatized with HCl in methanol to form methyl ester followed by subsequent N,O-diacylation with optically active (+)-α-methoxy-α-trifluoromethylphenylacetyl chloride to form epimeric amide. Quantitation was performed by SIM of the molecular-related ions of the epimers in the chemical ionization mode. The intra- and inter-day reproducibility of the assay was less than 5% for D-serine and 3% for L-serine. The method was successively applied to study the pharmacokinetics of D-serine in rats.     

同位素稀释气相色谱-三重四极杆质谱法测定环境空气中的多氯萘北大核心CSCD

环境空气中的多氯萘(PCNs)一般为痕量水平(pg/m^(3)),要实现其准确定量必然对分析方法的提取、净化和仪器分析提出较高要求。研究通过考察提取溶剂种类、净化流程和色谱-质谱参数,建立了加速溶剂萃取(ASE)-多层硅胶复合中性氧化铝柱的净化方法,并利用同位素稀释气相色谱-三重四极杆质谱(GC-MS/MS)对环境空气中的多氯萘进行测定。同时,通过在采样、提取和进样分析前分别添加同位素内标,开展质量控制和保证。结果表明,在2~100 ng/mL范围内3~8氯萘的平均相对响应因子(RRF)的相对标准偏差(RSD)均小于16%。PCNs同类物的方法检出限为1~3 pg/m^(3)(以样品体积为288 m^(3)计算)。采用基质加标法评价了方法对环境空气样品中PCNs测定的精密度和准确度,低、中、高加标水平下3~8氯萘的平均加标回收率分别为89.0%~119.4%、98.6%~122.5%和93.7%~124.5%,测定结果的平均相对标准偏差分别为1.9%~7.0%、1.6%~6.6%和1.0%~4.8%。整个分析过程中,采样内标和提取内标的平均回收率分别为136.2%~146.0%和42.4%~78.1%,RSD分别为5.6%~7.5%和2.7%~17.5%,满足痕量分析的要求且平行性较好。方法的灵敏度和准确度高,精密度良好,适用于环境空气中3~8氯萘的准确定量测定,可在一定程度上缓解多氯萘监测对高分辨气相色谱-高分辨质谱的依赖,为实现多氯萘的国际履约提供方法支持。     

Serum/plasma methylmercury determination by isotope dilution gas chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of methylmercury in plasma and serum samples was developed. The method uses isotope dilution with ¹⁹⁸Hg-labeled methylmercury, extraction into dichloromethane, back-extraction into water, aqueous-phase ethylation, purge and trap collection, thermal desorption, separation by gas chromatography, and mercury isotope specific detection by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. By spiking 2 mL sample with 1.2 ng tracer, measurements in a concentration interval of (0.007–2.9) μg L⁻¹ could be performed with uncertainty amplification factors <2. A limit of quantification of 0.03 μg L⁻¹ was estimated at 10 times the standard deviation of concentrations measured in preparation blanks. Within- and between-run relative standard deviations were <10% at added concentration levels of 0.14 μg L⁻¹, 0.35 μg L⁻¹ and 2.8 μg L⁻¹, with recoveries in the range 82–110%. Application of the method to 50 plasma/serum samples yielded a median (mean; range) concentration of methylmercury of 0.081 (0.091; <0.03–0.19) μg L⁻¹. This is the first time methylmercury has been directly measured in this kind of specimen, and is therefore the first estimate of a reference range.     

同位素稀释气相色谱/三重四极杆串联质谱法分析环境样品中的多氯萘

采用稳定同位素标记的多氯萘(PCNs)同类物为内标,建立了同位素稀释气相色谱/三重四极杆串联质谱技术测定环境样品中20种高关注的PCNs同类物的方法。结果表明:PCNs同类物的校正曲线在0.5~200 μg/L范围内线性良好(R²>0.99),检出限(LOD)为0.04~0.48 μg/L,相对标准偏差(RSD)小于15%。采用基质加标法评价该方法对实际环境样品中PCNs测定的回收率为45.2%~87.9%。为验证方法的适用性,以河流沉积物和再生铝冶炼排放的烟道气样品为对象,利用所建立的方法测定了20种PCNs同类物,并将结果与高分辨气相色谱/高分辨质谱方法的测定结果进行了比对,两种方法测定结果的RSD为0.5%~41.4%,表明所建立的同位素稀释气相色谱/三重四极杆串联质谱方法可用于实际环境样品中PCNs的定性、定量分析。     

Simultaneous determination of clenbuterol, salbutamol and ractopamine in milk by reversed-phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry with isotope dilution

A simple, sensitive and reliable analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of clenbuterol (CLB), salbutamol (SAL) and ractopamine (RAC) in milk by ultra high performance liquid chromatography–positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–ESI-MS/MS) with isotope dilution. Samples were directly purified through HLB cartridge. Then the eluate was dried under nitrogen and residues were redissolved in mobile phase. Samples were analyzed by LC–MS/MS on an Acquity UPLC^® BEH C₁₈ column with gradient elution. The samples were quantified using clenbuterol-D₉, salbutamol-D₃ and ractopamine-D₆ as internal standards. The proposed method was validated according to the European Commission Decision 2002/657/EC determining specificity, decision limit (CCα), detection capability (CCβ), recovery, precision, linearity, robustness and stability. CCα values were 0.054, 0.006 and 0.008 μg/kg for CLB, SAL and RAC, respectively. CCβ values were 0.058, 0.007 and 0.009 μg/kg for CLB, SAL and RAC, respectively. The mean recoveries, repeatability (expressed as coefficient of variation, CV_r), and reproducibility (CV_R) varied from 95.8 to 106.2%, from 3.60 to 6.44% (CVr), and from 4.77 to 7.53% (CV_R), respectively. The method is demonstrated to be suitable for the determination of clenbuterol, salbutamol and ractopamine in milk. The total time required for the analysis of one sample, including sample preparation, was about 45 min.     

Simultaneous determination of cinnamaldehyde and its metabolite in rat tissues by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Cinnamaldehyde (CA), an active ingredient isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Cinnamomi, has a wide range of bioactivities. To clarify the distribution characteristics of CA, a selective and sensitive method utilizing gas chromatography–mass spetrometry was initially developed for simultaneously determining the concentration of CA and its metabolite cinnamyl alcohol in rat tissues. Selected ion masses of m/z 131, 105 and 92 were chosen, and separation of the analytes was performed on a DB‐5 ms (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 µm, thickness) capillary column by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The calibration curves demonstrated good linearity and reproducibility over the range of 20–2000 and 20–4000 ng/mL for various tissue samples. Recoveries ranged from 86.8 to 107.5%, while intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations were all <11.3%. The analysis method was successfully applied in tissue distribution studies for CA and cinnamyl alcohol. As CA and cinnamyl alcohol may inter‐convert to one another, simultaneous determination of both analytes provides a comparative and accurate data for tissue study. The concentrations of CA and cinnamyl alcohol remaining in spleen were the highest among the main organs, including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and brain. In addition, there was no long‐term accumulation of CA in rat tissues. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

气相色谱-三重四极杆质谱同位素内标法测定鱼样中20种多氯联苯

建立了一种气相色谱-三重四极杆质谱结合双稳定性同位素内标检测鱼样中多氯联苯的方法。采用自动索氏提取器提取样品中的多氯联苯,经一根复合净化柱净化后,采用质谱多反应监测模式检测,选取两个独立的离子对。分析了20种多氯联苯,包含7种指示性多氯联苯,从三氯联苯到八氯联苯每族3个化合物,九氯联苯和十氯联苯各一个,每族使用一个相同氯代程度的¹³C₁₂标记多氯联苯作为定量内标、2种回收内标。20种多氯联苯在33 min内流出,分离良好,线性范围为0.05~10 μg/L,相关系数r均在0.99以上,低、中、高3种水平的加标回收率均在80.3%~117.6%之间,相对标准偏差（RSD,n=6）在5.09%~18.5%之间,方法检出限为0.01~0.02 μg/kg。20种多氯联苯总量在1.2~8.8 μg/kg（湿重）范围内,7个指示性多氯联苯总量在0.68~6.4 μg/kg（湿重）范围内。该方法缩短了分析时间,减少了有机溶剂的使用量,适合鱼样中多氯联苯的测定。     

High accuracy isotope dilution analysis for the determination of ethanol using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry

A procedure was established for the determination of ethanol in water samples by isotope dilution analysis. After spiking the sample with labelled [13C2]ethanol, it was analysed by gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. Results are reported for two certified reference materials and also ethanol solutions prepared for a CITAC (Co-operation on International Traceability in Analytical Chemistry) interlaboratory comparison. The certified reference materials were certified using the dichromate titration method at nominal levels of 80 and 200 mg per 100 mL. The CITAC solutions were prepared gravimetrically at nominal levels of 50, 80 and 200 mg per 100 mL. The results of the analysis agree well to within 0.5% of the gravimetric values of the different samples. The relative expanded standard uncertainties (with a coverage factor equal to 2) associated with the results varied between 0.18 and 0.37%, a range that encompassed the gravimetric values for the different samples. A complete uncertainty budget was also drawn up so that the different contributions could be identified and quantified. The main contributions were due to variations in the measured isotope amount ratios and a 'between' blend component introduced to quantify the contribution of factors such as the degree of matching of the isotope amount ratios between standards and samples used in the isotope dilution analysis.     

Simultaneous determination of phthalates and adipates in human serum using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with solid‐phase extraction

A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry assay was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of phthalates and adipates in human serum. The phthalates and adipates studied were dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, benzylbutyl phthalate, di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate, di‐n‐octyl phthalate, diethyl adipate, dibutyl adipate, diisobutyl adipate, bis(2‐butoxyethyl) adipate and di‐2‐ethylhexyl adipate, with diisooctyl phthalate as internal standard. The extraction and cleaning up procedure was carried out with solid‐phase extraction cartridges containing dimethyl butylamine groups, which showed extraction efficiencies over 88% for each analyte and the internal standard. The calibration curves obtained were linear with correlation coefficients greater than 0.98. For all analytes, the assay gave CV% values for intra‐day precision from 4.9 to 13.3% and mean accuracy values from 91.4 to 108.4%, while inter‐day precision was 5.2–13.4% and mean accuracy 91.0–110.2%. The limits of detection for the assay of phthalates and adipates were in the range 0.7–4.5 ng/mL. The method is simple, sensitive and accurate, and allows for simultaneous determination of nanogram levels of phthalates and adipates in human serum. It was successfully applied to an investigation on the level of phthalates and adipates in a non‐occupationally exposed population.     

Prediction of measurement uncertainty in isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

An equation is theoretically derived which describes the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the amount ratios of analyte to its isotope-labeled variant in gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using the stable isotope dilution method. The determination of methyltestosterone is taken as an example. The uncertainty equation proposed is justified by comparing the theoretical RSD values with the experimental RSD values obtained by replication over a wide range of analyte amount. The detection limit and quantitation limit are estimated from the continuous plot (precision profile) of the theoretical RSD against analyte amount.     

Simultaneous determination of isomeric substituted anilines by imidization with benzaldehyde and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

The chromatographic separation of several isomeric anilines is a challenging issue. Herein, a simple method for the simultaneous determination of four groups of isomeric primary aromatic amines, including chloroanilines, methylanilines, methoxylanilines, and dimethylanilines, was presented. In this method, all of the 15 primary aromatic amines were easily transformed into the corresponding imine derivative by treatment with benzaldehyde under mild conditions. The formed isomeric imine derivatives were completely separated on a commercial capillary gas chromatography column. The effects of several derivatization parameters were investigated and optimized. Linearity in the optimized method ranged from 0.050 to 50 μg/mL with the squared correlation coefficients (R²) between 0.9981 and 0.9999. Reasonable reproducibility was obtained, with the intraday relative standard deviation (N = 5) ranging from 0.89 to 4.57% and interday relative standard deviation ranging from 2.26 to 7.69% at the concentration of 5.0 μg/mL. The developed method has been successfully applied to determine these isomeric aromatic amines in real samples.     

Stable isotope dilution method for the determination of guanidinoacetic acid by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

For more than 30 years, guanidinoacetic acid (GAA), together with other guanidino compounds, has been proposed as an important marker for renal failure, in kidney transplantation, and for renal metabolism, especially for the metabolic activity of the renal proximal tubules. Since the discovery of the first patient with guanidinoacetic acid methyltransferase deficiency in 1994 by St?ckler et al. (Pediatr. Res. 1994; 36: 409), GAA has become of great interest for all laboratories involved in the diagnosis of metabolic diseases. In the literature there are several methods described for the determination of GAA, ranging from ion-exchange chromatography with post-column derivatisation, enzymatic methods, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), to liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS). Here a stable isotope dilution method for quantitative and accurate determination of GAA in urine, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid is described. GAA is converted to the bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrimidine di(tert-butyldimethylsilyl) derivative by stepwise derivatisation with hexafluoroacetylacetone and N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-N-methyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA). Analysis can be performed using a standard benchtop GC/MS system. For quantitative GAA determination with 1,2-(13)C-GAA as internal standard, selected ion monitoring is performed using m/z 460/462, with m/z 432/433 and 375/376 as qualifiers.