Bioanalytical methods applied to endocrine disrupting polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans. A review

The usual methods for determining polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are generally expensive and time consuming. This fact has favored the development of faster and cheaper techniques, based on immunoassays and bioassays. This paper reviews these bioanalytical methods and their analytical importance at the present moment.     

The determination of chlorinated biphenyls,chlorinated dibenzodioxins,and chlorinated dibenzofurans by GC-MS

High resolution gas chromatography, with mass selective detection, has been used for the analysis of PCB on methyl 50 % octyl polysiloxane (SB 50 Octyl), methyl octadecyl polysiloxane, and a smectic polysiloxane (SB Smectic); and for the analysis of polychlorodibenzodioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans with 1 to 8 chlorine substituents on 100 % cyanopropyl siloxane (SP 2331), smectic polysiloxane (SB Smectic), a new polar stationary phase (DB-Dioxin). The analysis has also been performed by column coupling.     

Chemical reaction dynamics of PeCB and TCDD decomposition: A tight‐binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics study with first‐principles parameterization

The decomposition reaction dynamics of 2,3,4,4′,5‐penta‐chlorinated biphenyl (2,3,4,4′,5‐PeCB), 3,3′,4,4′,5‐penta‐chlorinated biphenyl (3,3′,4,4′,5‐PeCB), and 2,3,7,8‐tetra‐chlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxin (2,3,7,8‐TCDD) was clarified for the first time at atomic and electronic levels, using our novel tight‐binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics method with first‐principles parameterization. The calculation speed of our new method is over 5000 times faster than that of the conventional first‐principles molecular dynamics method. We confirmed that the structure, energy, and electronic states of the above molecules calculated by our new method are quantitatively consistent with those by first‐principles calculations. After the confirmation of our methodology, we investigated the decomposition reaction dynamics of the above molecules and the calculated dynamic behaviors indicate that the oxidation of the 2,3,4,4′,5‐PeCB, 3,3′,4,4′,5‐PeCB, and 2,3,7,8‐TCDD proceeds through an epoxide intermediate, which is in good agreement with the previous experimental reports and consistent with our static density functional theory calculations. These results proved that our new tight‐binding quantum chemical molecular dynamics method with first‐principles parameterization is an effective tool to clarify the chemical reaction dynamics at reaction temperatures. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

多色蓝在核酸分子上的Langmuir聚集吸附

用微相吸附-光谱修正（MPASC）新技术研究核酸与多色蓝(PCB)探针分子间的相互作用，分析核酸分子内双静电膜的形成与Langmuir吸附的关联性.通过pH 7.24的介质核酸-PCB反应的光谱研究，测定了结合产物的物理化学参数：结合比1PCB:2DNA-PCB、1PCB:3RNA-PCB, 平衡常数KDNA-PCB=5.42×104， KRNA-PCB=2.82×104,摩尔吸收系数ε(DNA-PCB, 625 nm)=5.65×103（mo1－1•L ）•cm－1， ε(RNA-PCB, 625 nm)=3.85×103 （mol－1•L）•cm－1.结果表明， RNA分子仅形成约60％双螺旋结构链，核酸双螺旋每一周期的负静电沟最大聚集10个PCB分子.该吸附反应用于核酸样品测定，结果良好.     

Rapid determination of organochlorine pesticide residues in feeds by capillary gas chromatography

A simple micro-method is described for determination of 15 organochlorine pesticide residues in mixed feeds. Clean-up of the petroleum ether extract is by basic alumina minicolumn chromatography and quantitative identification is by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Cyanopropyl-polysiloxane chemically bonded fused silica capillary columns have been used to perform high resolution analyses in short time as well as to overcome possible interferences by PCBs. Recovery, repeatability, and detection limits of the proposed procedure are checked and results are also reported for non random samples of 180 feeds collected in Italy.     

Anaerobic Degradation of PCB in Soils

Abstract

The anaerobic degradation of PCB in loamy and clayey soils containing indigeneous microflora was studied. The anaerobic conditions were created by an argon atmosphere in the flasks containing soil flooded by a liquid medium with glucose. GC-ECD analysis of soil extracts after 40 day incubation showed, in addition to the concentration changes of the less chlorinated PCB congeners, a significant decrease in the concentration of highly chlorinated congeners in both soils. The results indicate that in both soil types reductive dehalogenation of PCB congeners was encountered.     

Interference of Transformer oil Matrices to the Internal Standards on PCB Quantification

Abstract

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are toxic, perssstent, global environmental contaminants which were formulated as complex mixtures of congeners. Many methods have been developed in the past to analyze PCB in transformer oil samples for regulatory purposes. The most important consideration in the cleanup procedure is the ability to remove the oil from the sample matrix, since trace amount of oil will interfere with the subsequent GC-MS analysis. Electron capture detection (ECD) has been the most common method for gas chromatographic analysis of PCBs because of its high sensitivity toward halogenated compounds. ECD can also respond to some non-PCB compound resulting in biased concentrations of PCB. In this work, a two-stage cleanup method, using DMSO liquid/liquid extraction and HPLC column chromatography. has been applied to two types of transformer oil. Five internal standards have been selected to show their performance in the presence of different oil matrices. The comparison of the PCB quantification at different conditions for GC-MS and GC-ECD will be demonstrated.     

Determination of dissolved and particle-bound PCB congeners at ultra-trace concentrations in water

Adsorption of 10 PCB congeners in aqueous solutions on glass-fibre filters taken from different boxes but of the same type were not significantly different. The standard deviations using filters from the same box were below 10% at concentration levels of 4.1?ng?L^?1. At this level, the adsorption of dissolved PCB at the filters was in the range of 5–20% depending on the congener. This led to a procedure for determination of dissolved and particle-bound congener in authentic landfill leachate, which included correction for adsorption losses. The procedure was based on filtration through glass-fibre filters, followed by trapping of the PCB in the eluate on solid-phase extraction (SPE) disks. After separate supercritical fluid (SFE) extractions, with carbon dioxide, of the filters as well as of the SPE disks, the extracts were analysed on a two-column capillary GC-ECD system. Corrections for congener adsorption on glass-fibre filters were made, from which corrected distribution constants between particle-bound and dissolved PCB congener in the water phase could be obtained for authentic landfill leachate. These values (10⁴–10⁵) agreed well with those obtained by others.     

Application of Non-Destructive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry to the Analysis of Suspended Matter in Sea Water

Abstract

In the framework of remote sensing studies concerning coastal transport of pollution in the Northern Adriatic Sea, a method has been developed for the quantitative determination of sulphur, iron, titanium, calcium, phosphorus, silicon, aluminium, magnesium in suspended matter of sea water.

The suspended material was collected by filtering on millipore membrane filters with pore width of 0.45 μ and directly analysed by X-ray spectroscopy. For calibration dried solution and particulate standard samples were used. Limits of sensitivity and precision of the method are reported.

Correlations between the concentration of these elements and the total suspended matter/chlorophyll are discussed.

The aim is to study the geochemical composition of particulate matter and its variations within the geographical site of the sea basin and the seasonal conditions. The approach is to consider aluminium and the other elements normalized on Al. On the basis of a matrix correlation analyses of some sets of data chosen in the restricted area for investigation, some hypothesis on superficial distribution of clay, carbonate, iron hydrous oxides and other mineral detrites, are taken into account. The results confirm the complex situation existing in the offshore area of the Venice lagoon from a geochemical point of view.

The suspended matter seem to be argillaceous in the Southern part of the investigated area and semi-argillaceous with hydrous oxides and carbonates in the Northern part which is influenced by the Piave river.     

Determination of 61 organic pollutants in drinking water by solid phase extraction followed by liquid and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry: an analytical strategy for a routine laboratory

A method for determination of 61 organic pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine, organophosphorous and organonitrogen pesticides) is proposed. It is based on solid phase extraction (SPE) and subsequent analysis of the extract by liquid and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Method validation yielded to the following values: limits of quantification, from 0.005 to 0.020?µg?L^?1; trueness, 95% to 113% and reproducibility (as percent relative standard deviation), 2% to 15%. Additionally, the method performed well in various proficiency tests.