Quantification of achiral and chiral methylsulfonyl polychlorinated biphenyl metabolites by column-switching liquid chromatography–atmospheric pressure photoionization–tandem mass spectrometry

An enantioselective heart-cut column-switching liquid chromatography–atmospheric pressure photoionization–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the analysis of 25 methylsulfonyl polychlorinated biphenyl metabolites in tissue extracts. Use of a pyrenyl-ethyl silica column in the first dimension enabled separation of all but two pairs of isobaric analytes. Enantioseparation was achieved for 9 out of the 10 atropisomeric analytes using a Chiralpak AD-H amylose-based column within 93 min, resulting in greater chromatographic resolution of enantioseparation over shorter analysis time by up to a factor of three, compared to previous one-dimensional and multi-dimensional gas chromatography-based methods. Precision for concentration and enantiomer fraction measurements was within 11% and 3% relative standard deviation, respectively. Limits of detection ranged from 0.01 to 1.73 ng on-column. Meta-congeners had poorer sensitivity (i.e., ng on-column), consistent with existing gas chromatography-based methods. Despite this limitation, the method was successfully applied to the analysis of Greenland sledge dog adipose tissue extracts, which had highly non-racemic residues of 4-methylsulfonyl-2,2′,3,5′,6-pentachlorobiphenyl and 4′-methylsulfonyl-2,2′,3,3′,4,6′-hexachlorobiphenyl, consistent with past reports in Arctic mammals.

► A novel method was created to quantify methylsulfonyl PCBs and their atropisomers. ► First time PYE column used to fractionate methylsulfonyl PCBs. ► First use of APPI and column-switching LC for quantifying achiral and chiral congeners. ► Analysis time was up to three times less than existing gas chromatography methods. ► Highly non-racemic methylsulfonyl PCBs were found in sledge dogs fed whale blubber.