COMPUTER-ASSISTED PEAK RECOGNITION FOR POLYCHLORINATED DIBENZO-P-DIOXINS (PCDD) AND POLYCHLORINATED DIBENZOFURANS (PCDF) IN ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES

A software has been developed for the peak recognition of 136 polychlo rinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PC DF) after high resolution gas chromatography coupled with mass spectro metry (HRGC/HRMS). Based on the retention times of C-13 labelled 2,3,7 ,8-substituted PCDD/F internal standards, the retention times of all P CDD and PCDF can be calibrated automatically and accurately. Therefore , it is very convenient to identify the peaks by comparing the retenti on of samples and the calibrated retention times of their chromatogram s. Hence, this approach is very significant because it is impossible t o obtain always a standard chromatogram and PCDD/F analysis are very e xpensive and time consuming. The calibration results can be transferre d to Excel for calculation. The approach is a first step to store cost ly and environmentally relevant data for future application.