Global and selective detection of organohalogens in environmental samples by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry

We successfully detected halogenated compounds from several kinds of environmental samples by using a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatograph coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer (GC × GC–MS/MS). For the global detection of organohalogens, fly ash sample extracts were directly measured without any cleanup process. The global and selective detection of halogenated compounds was achieved by neutral loss scans of chlorine, bromine and/or fluorine using an MS/MS. It was also possible to search for and identify compounds using two-dimensional mass chromatograms and mass profiles obtained from measurements of the same sample with a GC × GC-high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HRTofMS) under the same conditions as those used for the GC × GC–MS/MS. In this study, novel software tools were also developed to help find target (halogenated) compounds in the data provided by a GC × GC-HRTofMS. As a result, many dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyl congeners and many other halogenated compounds were found in fly ash extract and sediment samples. By extracting the desired information, which concerned organohalogens in this study, from huge quantities of data with the GC × GC-HRTofMS, we reveal the possibility of realizing the total global detection of compounds with one GC measurement of a sample without any pre-treatment.