Vortex-homogenized matrix solid-phase dispersion for the extraction of short chain chlorinated paraffins from indoor dust samples

- VH-MSPD combined with GC-ECNI-MS was used for the first time to analyze SCCPs.
- This method effectively determined SCCPs in indoor dust samples.
- The method provides good precision and detection limits at the sub-μg/g level.
- VH-MSPD does not require the acquisition of dedicated instrumentation.

A simple and effective method for determining short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in indoor dust is presented. The method employed a modified vortex-homogenized matrix solid-phase dispersion (VH-MSPD) prior to its detection by gas chromatography − electron-capture negative-ion mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-MS) operating in the selected-ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. Under the best extraction conditions, 0.1-g of dust sample was dispersed with 0.1-g of silica gel by using vortex (2 min) instead of using a mortar and pestle (3 min). After that step, the blend was transferred to a glass column containing 3-g acidic silica gel, 2-g basic silica gel, and 2-g of deactivated silica gel, used as clean-up co-sorbents. Then, target analytes were eluted with 5 mL of n-hexane/dichloromethane (2:1, v/v) mixture. The extract was evaporated to dryness under a gentle stream of nitrogen. The residue was then re-dissolved in n-hexane (10 μL), and subjected to GC-ECNI-MS analysis. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged from 0.06 to 0.25 μg/g for each SCCP congener. Precision was less than 7% for both intra- and inter-day analysis. Trueness was above 89%, which was calculated by mean extraction recovery. The VH-MSPD combined with GC-ECNI-MS was successfully applied to quantitatively detect SCCPs from various indoor dust samples, and the concentrations ranged from 1.2 to 31.2 μg/g.