RAPID SCREENING TECHNIQUE FOR TETRACHLORODIBENZO-P-DIOXINS IN COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTAL MATRICES BY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY TANDEM MASS-SPECTROMETRY WITH AN ION-TRAP DETECTOR

A capillary column gas chromatographic/ion-trap tandem mass spectrometric (GC/MS/MS) technique was applied to the determination of tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (TCDDs) in complex environmental matrices. A detection limit of 500 fg mul-1 injected, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 6:1, was obtained when MS/MS was combined with broadband ion ejection of matrix ions and selected ion isolation. Calibration graphs were constructed from extracted fragment ion mass chromatograms and were found to be linear over the range 0.5-200 pg. Concentrations of total TCDDs and of 2,3,7,8-TCDD were determined for extracts from fish, air and soil; in most cases, the results found by GC/MS/MS were comparable to those obtained by high-resolution MS and triple quadrupole MS.