Analytical chemistry of perfluoroalkylated substances

Polyfluorinated alkylated substances have recently gained scientific interest because they have been found to be present in appreciable concentrations in human serum, in surface waters, and in tissues of wildlife from remote areas. The developments in analytical chemistry of these mainly neutral or anionic surface-active compounds are reviewed in this paper. Problems associated with the determination of polyfluorinated alkylated compounds include diverse aspects such as unique physicochemical properties, lack of reliable standards, impurities, complicated mixtures of isomers and congeners, ion suppression, and contamination during all stages of the analytical procedure, including instrumental sources. State-of the-art analysis involves either direct or ion-paired extraction of the compounds from environmental media, followed by LC-MS(/MS) or GC-MS (for neutral compounds).