Clophen A60 Composition and Content of CBs, CNs, CDFs, and CDDs after 2D-HPLC, HRGC/LRMS, and HRGC/HRMS Separation and Quantification

Abstract

Chlorobiphenyl (CB) and by-side chlorodibenzofuran (CDF), chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (CDD), and chloronaphthalene (CN) homologue group and congener composition, and concentrations have been examined in technical CBs mixture Clophen A60. 101 peaks representing 116 CB congeners were quantified in Clophen A60, and most contributing were CBs nos. 138, 153, 134/144/149, and 180 with 15.4, 12.3, 8.2, and 6.5%, respectively. Di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta-, and octa-CBs constituted, respectively, 0.03, 0.03, 0.32, 9.9, 52.7, and 4.9% of chlorobiphenyls content of the Clophen A60, while mono-, nona-, and decaCB were not quantified. Tetra- to octaCDDs were absent in Clophen A60 at concentration above the method limit of quantification of <0.01 μg/g, while the total CDFs and CNs were found at 12 and 42 μg/g, respectively. Tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and hepta-CDF with 27, 46, 19, and 7% contribution, respectively, dominated in homologue group profile of CDFs, while octa-CDF was absent in Clophen A60. In compositional profile of CDF congeners the most abundant were 1,2,4,7,8-PeCDF, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, and 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF and each had >5% contribution. Amongst the CN homologue groups the profile in descending order followed by hepta-, hexa-, octa-, and penta-CNs with 56, 26, 16, and 2%, respectively. In compositional profile of CNs the most abundant were the congeners such as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7-HpCN (no. 73), 1,2,3,4,6,7-/1,2,3,5,6,7-HxCN (nos. 66/67), and 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-OcCN (no. 75) with 55, 21, and 16%, respectively. In terms of dioxin-like toxicity of Clophen A60 the contribution from planar non-ortho and mono-ortho CBs, CDFs, and CNs was 5280, 594.5, and 33.1 ng TCDD TEQ/g, respectively, and the total TEQ of planar analogues was 5908 ng/g.