Separation and identification of perchlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fullerenes (C 60, C 70) by coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract

Simultaneous separation and identification of perchlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PCPAHs) and fullerenes is of practical interest due to the growth mechanism of fullerenes involved with PCPAHs. Non-aqueous reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with an ODS column and a gradient mobile phase of methanol–ethanol–cyclohexane mixtures, was combined with both rapid-scan ultraviolet spectrometry (UV) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) for the separation and identification of over 80 PCPAHs as well as fullerenes C 60 and C 70, that were synthesized in the discharge reaction of chloroform. PCPAH retention was found to depend on the number of aromatic rings and the degree of non-planarity of PCPAH structure. Based on the isotopic pattern of molecular ion or/and quasi-molecular ion peaks in corresponding mass spectra, molecular compositions of the PCPAH products were unambiguously determined. The results obtained from the HPLC–UV–MS analysis not only are helpful for the understanding of the fullerenes formation mechanism, but also contribute to the analytical technique capable of separating and identifying the complicated mixture of PCPAHs and fullerenes.