Simultaneous determination of three alternative flame retardants (dechlorane plus, 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane, and decabromodiphenyl ethane) in soils by gas chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry

Abstract

A gas chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (GC–HRMS) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of three alternative flame retardants, dechlorane plus (DP), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) in soils. The soil samples were extracted by accelerated solvent extraction, followed by purification with concentrated sulfuric acid partitioning combined with acid–base silica gel column separation. The gas chromatography featured with a thermostable capillary column of short length and a thin stationary phase was operated in pulse injection mode. A double-focusing magnetic sector high resolution mass spectrometer with electron impact ionization was used for quantification of the analytes. The method detection limits were 0.27–0.33pg for DPs, 0.41pg for BTBPE, and 36pg for DBDPE. The mean recoveries for DPs, BTBPE, and DBDPE in spiked soils were 88–107%, 78–97%, and 74–113%, respectively, with relative standard deviations ranging from 5.2% to 18%. The recoveries of 13C-labeled standards for DPs, BTBPE, and DBDPE in soil samples were 45–110%, 67–118%, and 27–82%, respectively. These results met the acceptable range of labeled standards for analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers as specified by the USEPA 1614 method.