Fast Separation of 27 EU and US EPA Regulated PAHs on Agilent J&W Select PAH

Importance of PAH Analysis

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs arise from incomplete combustion of organic matter in industrial processes cooking and food processing They are of concern due to their carcinogenicity and persistence in environmental and food matrices Accurate separation and quantification of PAHs are critical for regulatory compliance and risk assessment

Study Objectives and Overview

This study presents a gas chromatography mass spectrometry GC MS method using a 15 m x 0.15 mm Select PAH column to achieve rapid baseline separation of all 27 PAHs regulated by European Union EU and US EPA protocols The approach addresses challenges posed by isomeric compounds with identical mass spectral profiles and coelution issues by optimizing column selectivity and oven temperature programming The method demonstrates compatibility with both EU priority food PAH list and US EPA environmental PAH criteria in a single analytical run

Methodology and Instrumentation

• Instrumentation Gas chromatograph coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in electron ionization SIM mode
• Column Agilent J W Select PAH column 15 m x 0.15 mm ID film thickness 0.10 µm
• Carrier gas Helium at constant flow of 1.2 mL per minute
• Injection Splitless mode 1 µL injection volume at 300 °C with 0.5 minute purge at 100 mL per minute
• Oven program initial hold at 70 °C for 0.4 minute ramp at 70 °C per minute to 180 °C then 7 °C per minute to 230 °C hold 7 minutes then 50 °C per minute to 280 °C hold 7 minutes then 30 °C per minute to final temperature of 350 °C hold 4 minutes

Results and Discussion

The optimized method achieved complete resolution of three challenging isomer groups including benz[a]anthracene cyclopenta[c,d]pyrene chrysene triphenylene m z 226 228 indeno 1 2 3 c d pyrene benzo b triphenylene dibenz a h anthracene m z 276 278 and benzo fluoranthene isomers m z 252 Chromatographic separation on the Select PAH column produced distinct peaks for all 27 target analytes within a 29 minute run time The enhanced selectivity mitigates coelution issues that cannot be resolved by mass spectrometry alone

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Simultaneous analysis of EU and US EPA regulated PAH lists reduces the need for multiple methods
• Short analysis time increases laboratory throughput
• High resolution of isomeric PAHs improves accuracy and compliance
• Suitable for environmental monitoring food safety testing and industrial quality control

Future Trends and Opportunities

Advances in stationary phase chemistry and miniaturized columns may further reduce analysis times and solvent consumption Coupling to high resolution mass spectrometry or alternative detectors could enhance sensitivity and selectivity Emerging applications include real time monitoring and portable field deployable GC MS systems to support on site PAH screening

Conclusion

The presented GC MS method using the Agilent Select PAH column delivers efficient baseline separation of 27 regulated PAHs in under 30 minutes By combining robust instrumentation with an optimized temperature program the approach meets both EU and US EPA regulatory requirements offering a high throughput solution for environmental and food laboratories

Reference

• Anon Report Joint FAO WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives Sixty fourth meeting FAO WHO Rome Italy 2005
• Bordajandi LR Dabrio M Ulberth F Emons H Optimisation of the GC MS conditions for the determination of the 15 EU foodstuff priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons J Sep Sci 31 1769 1778 2008
• Lerda D Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons PAHs Factsheet JRC 500871 European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements Geel Belgium 2009
• Poster DL Schantz MM Sander LC Wise SA Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs in environmental samples a critical review of gas chromatographic GC methods Anal Bioanal Chem 386 859 881 2006
• Ziegenhals K Hubschmann HJ Speer K Jira W Fast GC HRMS to quantify the EU priority PAH J Sep Sci 31 1779 1786 2008