Separation and identification of perchlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and fullerenes (C-60, C-70) by coupling highperformance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and atmospheric pressurechemical ionization mass spectrometry

Simultaneous separation and identification of perchlorinated polycyclic aro matic hydrocarbons (PCPAHs) and fullerenes is of practical interest due to the growth mechanism of fullerenes involved with PCPAHs. Non-aqueous revers ed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with an ODS column and a gradient mobile phase of methanol-ethanol-cyclohexane mixtures, was c ombined with both rapid-scan ultraviolet spectrometry (UV) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) for the separation and identification of over 80 PCPAHs as well as fullerenes C-60 and C-70, that were synthesized in the discharge reaction of chloroform. PCPAH retent ion was found to depend on the number of aromatic rings and the degree of n on-planarity of PCPAH structure. Based on the isotopic pattern of molecular ion or/and quasi-molecular ion peaks in corresponding mass spectra, molecu lar compositions of the PCPAH products were unambiguously determined. The r esults obtained from the HPLC-UV-MS analysis not only are helpful for the u nderstanding of the fullerenes formation mechanism, but also contribute to the analytical technique capable of separating and identifying the complica ted mixture of PCPAHs and fullerenes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BY All righ ts reserved.