Enantiomeric determination of chiral persistent organic pollutants and their metabolites

Many persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chiral and are generally released into the environment as racemates, but frequently undergo alterations in enantiomeric composition as soon as they are subjected to biochemical processes. Enantiospecific analysis of chiral POPs is important, since enantiomers of chiral compounds often exhibit differences in biological activity, and most biochemical processes in nature are stereospecific. The effects and the environmental fate of the enantiomers of chiral pollutants therefore need to be investigated separately. Chiral separation of enantiomers is one of the most challenging tasks for any analytical technique. We discuss different aspects of enantiospecific analysis of chiral POPs, including classical POPs and their metabolites, as well as some emerging POPs.