Quantification and determination of enantiomeric ratios of chiral PCB 95, PCB 132, and PCB 149 in shark liver samples (C. coelolepis) from the Atlantic Ocean

Chiral 2,2′,3,5′,6-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 95), 2,2′,3,3′,4,6′-hexachlorobiphnyl (PCB 132) and 2,2′,3,4′,5′,6-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 149) were quantified in Atlantic Ocean shark liver samples (C. coelolepis) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and their enantiomeric ratios were studied by multidimensional gas chromatography (MDGC) with an achiral-chiral column combination and detected by ECD and MS/SIM. The concentration range of the chiral PCBs was from 2 to 6 ng/g (fresh weight), which represents 2–6 % of the total PCB mean concentration. The investigations revealed a small enantiomeric bias of PCB 132 in most of the samples studied (ER = 0.75–0.89, ee = 6–14%), while PCB 95 and PCB 149 were present in racemic or almost racemic form.