Chemical changes of organic compounds in chlorinated water : XI. Thin-layer chromatographic fractionation of ames mutagenic compounds in chlorine-treated 4-methylphenol solution

Abstract

The diethyl ether extract from an aqueous solution of 4-methylphenol after treatment with hypochlorite was mutagenic to the Ames Salmonella test strain TA100 in the absence of liver homogenate. Gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC—MS) showed the occurrence of, at least, twenty compounds in the extract: chloro-4-methylphenols, chlorohydroxy-4-methylquinones and chlorinated 4-methylphenol dimers. The diethyl ether extract was fractionated into several fractions by silica gel and polyamide thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The fractionated components were then examined for mutagenicity by means of Ames assays, and were identified by GC—MS. TLC fractionation of the extract revealed that the major components present in the extract are not mutagenic, but minor components (less than 4% of the total extract) are mutagenic. GC—MS analysis indicated the presence of chlorinated 4-methylphenol dimers in the fraction which exhibited the highest mutagenicity.