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A comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOF-MS) method was developed to analyze 25 traditional phthalate esters (PAEs) and 19 novel alternatives in indoor dust samples. PAEs are ubiquitous in indoor environments because they are widely used as plasticizers in a variety of consumer products, and potential health concerns have prompted the need for effective monitoring methods. In this study, dust samples were collected from various indoor settings in a university campus, including classrooms, cafeterias, laboratories, and dormitories, and were subsequently ultrasonically extracted with hexane-dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v) solution for 30 min. This method was chosen to maximize PAE recovery while minimizing potential interference from other compounds present in the dust matrix. Compounds were separated on a Rix-5MS column (30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm) as the first dimension, with a Rix-17Sil column (1.39 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm) serving as the second dimension. The following temperature program was used: 60 ℃ for 1 min, then increasing to 220 ℃ at 20 ℃/min, followed by a further increase to 290 ℃ at 5 ℃/min, with the final temperature held for 8 min; this program was optimized to afford maximum target-compound resolution and sensitivity. The developed method rapidly, accurately, and sensitively detected the target PAEs and their alternatives under the optimal conditions, which included a carrier-gas flow rate of 1.4 mL/min, a modulation period of 4 s, and an injection-port temperature of 250 ℃. The 44 target compounds exhibited highly linear calibration curves across a content range of 1-500 μg/g, with all correlation coefficients exceeding 0.99. The limits of detection (LODs) of the method were determined to lie between 0.57 and 13.0 ng/g, which reflects the high sensitivity of the developed approach. At spiked levels of 1, 10, and 50 μg/g, the recoveries of the analyzed compounds varied from 72.8% to 125%, with relative standard deviations ranging from 1.29% to 14.8% ( n =3), which indicates that the method is highly precise and reliable. The developed method was used to analyze PAEs and their alternatives in 40 indoor dust samples, which revealed total contents of between 2.07 and 354 μg/g in dust samples. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) emerged as the most frequently detected compound, with contents ranging from "not detected" (nd) to 158 μg/g. The novel alternative, bis(2-ethylhexy) terephthalate (DEHTH), was also detected, with levels ranging from nd to 117 μg/g. Notably, significant differences in the compositions and contents of the PAEs and their alternatives were observed across various indoor environments, which suggests that diverse sources and exposure pathways exist for these compounds, highlighting the necessity for ongoing PAE monitoring and risk assessment in various indoor settings. In conclusion, the developed GC×GC-TOF-MS method provides a powerful tool for comprehensively analyzing PAEs and their alternatives in indoor dust; it is well-suited for the routine monitoring of these compounds owing to its simplicity, rapidity, and robustness. These findings provide valuable insight for future research into the sources and health implications of PAEs in indoor environments, and ultimately support risk assessment and regulatory efforts.

Halogenated organic pollutants (HOPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The development of methods to detect HOPs in fish is challenging owing to the compositional complexity of fish matrices, which contain high levels of lipids and relatively low concentrations of HOPs. In addition, the lipophilicity of most HOPs renders their extraction difficult. Moreover, the simultaneous determination of multiple HOPs to achieve the high-throughput screening of these analytes is complex. In this study, a reliable and efficient pretreatment method based on ultrasound-assisted extraction, gel permeation chromatography purification, and ultra performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) was developed for the determination of 12 HOPs in edible fish. The procedures of sample extraction and purification and LC-HRMS detection parameters were optimized to improve the performance of the method. Fresh fish samples were thoroughly rinsed with water, and non-edible parts, including the skin, bones, and phosphorus, were removed. The fish were weighed, cut into small pieces, and vacuum freeze-dried for 48 h. Subsequently, a freeze grinder was used to grind the dried fish into a fine powder. Exactly 2 g of the fish powder was weighed, fortified with isotope-labeled internal standards of the HOPs, and allowed to stand for 5 min. Methanol-acetonitrile (1∶1, v/v) was then added, followed by vortex mixing and ultrasonication. After centrifugation, the supernatant was transferred to a fresh tube. The extraction process was repeated twice and all extracts were combined. The extract was evaporated under a gentle nitrogen flow and redissolved in a mixture of ethyl acetate-cyclohexane (1∶1, v/v). The sample mixture was cleaned using gel permeation chromatography, and the eluate was collected and concentrated under a nitrogen flow. Sample residuals were reconstituted with water-methanol (1∶1, v/v) prior to instrumental analysis. Chromatographic separation was performed using an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). Water containing 2 mmol/L NH 4 Ac and acetonitrile were used as the mobile phases, and an optimized gradient elution program was applied. Isotope dilution and an internal standard method were used to quantify the HOPs. An electrospray ionization source operated in negative mode was applied to ionize the HOPs, and a full scan together with data-dependent acquisition (DDA) was applied for HRMS. Excellent linearities ( R >0.99) were obtained for all HOPs in the quantification range of 1.0-1000.0 ng/mL. The limits of quantification were 0.5 ng/g. The analytical method was validated using pooled fish samples fortified with HOP standards (4, 40, and 400 ng/g). The recoveries of the HOPs were in the range of 67.6%-133.8%, and the corresponding RSDs were 0.5%-15.6%. A total of 27 commercially available fish samples were analyzed using the developed method, and the results revealed the presence of HOPs in the fish, indicating the practicability of the method for real-world samples. The developed method is rapid, accurate, precise, and suitable for detecting HOPs in fish. This study provides a useful approach for environmental monitoring and food safety assurance by enabling the accurate and efficient analysis of HOPs in commonly consumed fish. Given increasing global concerns over HOPs, the method developed in this study will provide practical technical support for consumers aiming to reduce their exposure to and the adverse impacts of HOPs via fish.2 >0.99) were obtained for all HOPs in the quantification range of 1.0-1000.0 ng/mL. The limits of quantification were 0.5 ng/g. The analytical method was validated using pooled fish samples fortified with HOP standards (4, 40, and 400 ng/g). The recoveries of the HOPs were in the range of 67.6%-133.8%, and the corresponding RSDs were 0.5%-15.6%. A total of 27 commercially available fish samples were analyzed using the developed method, and the results revealed the presence of HOPs in the fish, indicating the practicability of the method for real-world samples. The developed method is rapid, accurate, precise, and suitable for detecting HOPs in fish. This study provides a useful approach for environmental monitoring and food safety assurance by enabling the accurate and efficient analysis of HOPs in commonly consumed fish. Given increasing global concerns over HOPs, the method developed in this study will provide practical technical support for consumers aiming to reduce their exposure to and the adverse impacts of HOPs via fish.

Fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) are dyes that emit visible blue or blue-purple fluorescence upon ultraviolet-light absorption. Taking advantage of light complementarity, FWAs can compensate for the yellow color of many substances to achieve a whitening effect; thus, they are used extensively in various applications. FWAs are generally stable, but their presence in the environment can lead to pollution and accumulation in the body through the food chain. Recent studies have revealed that some types of FWAs, such as coumarin-based FWAs, may exhibit photo-induced mutagenic effects that can trigger allergic reactions in humans and even pose carcinogenic risks. Hence, the development of an accurate and highly sensitive method for detecting FWAs in food-related samples is a crucial endeavor. Owing to the high polarity and structural similarity of FWAs, the accurate determination of these substances in complex food samples requires an analytical method that offers both efficient separation and sensitive detection. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) exhibits essential features such as high separation efficiency, short analysis times, very small sample injection requirements, minimal use of organic solvents, and simple operation. Thus, it is often used as an effective alternative to liquid chromatographic techniques. Over the past few decades, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) has been utilized as a highly sensitive and accurate detection method in numerous chemical analytical fields because it enables the analysis of molecular structures. By combining the high separation efficiency of CE with the high sensitivity of ESI-MS, a powerful tool for identifying and quantifying trace amounts of FWAs in food samples may be obtained. In this study, we present a method based on sheathless CE coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) for the simultaneous detection of six trace FWAs in flour. In the proposed method, the CE separation device is directly coupled to the mass spectrometer through a sheathless interface without the need for a sheath liquid for electric contact, thereby avoiding the dilution of the analytes and improving detection sensitivity. Various conditions that could affect extraction recovery, separation efficiency, and detection sensitivity were evaluated and optimized. The FWAs were effectively extracted from the sample matrix with reduced matrix effects by ultrasonic-assisted extraction at a temperature of 30 ℃ for 20 min using CHCl 3 -MeOH (3∶2, v/v) as the extraction solvent. The extract was centrifuged, dried under N 2 , and reconstituted in CHCl 3 -MeOH (1∶4, v/v) for subsequent analysis. During the detection process, the CE device was coupled to the ESI-MS/MS instrument via a highly sensitive porous spray needle, which served as the sheathless electrospray interface. The target FWAs were scanned in positive-ion mode (ESI + ) to ensure the stability and intensity of the obtained signals. Additionally, multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and MS/MS analysis were used to simultaneously quantify the six targets with high selectivity. The developed sheathless CE-ESI-MS/MS method detected the FWAs with high sensitivity over wide linear ranges with low method limits of detection (0.04-0.67 ng/g). The recoveries of the six target FWAs at three spiked levels were between 77.5% and 97.2%, with good interday (RSD≤11.5%) and intraday (RSD≤10.2%) precision. Analyses of the six target FWAs in eight commercial flour samples were performed using this method, and four positive samples were identified. These results demonstrate that the proposed CE-ESI-MS/MS method is a promising strategy for the determination of trace FWAs in complex food sample matrices with efficient separation and high sensitivity.

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) are widely used in commercial products owing to their exceptional flame-retarding and plasticizing properties. However, OPFRs are also well recognized as emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because of their environmental persistence, biological concentration, and potential toxicity. Thus, the accurate detection of OPFRs in environmental media is critical for analyzing their fate, transport, and ecological risk. However, very few OPFR detection methods are currently available, and the types of OPFRs detected may vary from site to site. In this study, matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction (MSPD), a simple, rapid, and versatile technique for preparing solid, semisolid, liquid, and viscous samples, was combined for the first time with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to analyze 10 OPFRs in soil, namely, tripropyl phosphate (TPrP), tri- n -butyl phosphate (TnBP), tri-iso-butyl phosphate (TiBP), tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), triphenyl phosphate (TPHP), 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP), triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), and trimethylphenyl phosphate (TCP). The GC-MS/MS system was equipped with a Bruker-5MS capillary column coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Prior to detection, a mixed standard solution was fortified with 10 ng of 13 C-PCB208 as an internal standard. The optimal conditions under which MSPD could achieve high selectivity for OPFRs were determined. In addition, single-factor analysis was used to examine the influence of the sorbent (i. e., C18, PSA, Florisil, GCB, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)) as well as the dosage, type, and volume of the eluent on the extraction efficiency of the method for the 10 OPFRs. When GCB and ethyl acetate were used as the adsorbent and solvent, respectively, during elution, high extraction recoveries for the OPFRs were achieved. Optimization via response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted to further analyze the impact of three key factors, namely, the adsorbent dosage, eluent volume, and grinding time, as well as their interactions, on OPFR recoveries. Under the optimal conditions of 0.3 g of GCB as the adsorbent, 10 mL of ethyl acetate as the eluent, and 5 min of grinding time, the relative average recovery of the OPFRs was 87.5%. Furthermore, the 10 OPFRs showed good linear relationships under five concentration gradients, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.998. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were calculated as signal-to-noise ratios ( S/N ) of 3 and 10, respectively, and found to be in the ranges of 0.006-0.161 and 0.020-0.531 ng/g, respectively. The performance of the proposed method was verified by determining the recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the OPFRs in soils spiked at low, medium, and high levels (10, 20, and 100 ng/g, respectively). The recoveries of the OPFRs ranged from 70.4% to 115.4%, with RSDs ranging from 0.7% to 6.7%. Compared with the conventional accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) method, MSPD presents higher efficiency, simpler operation, and less solvent requirements. The developed method was applied to determine OPFRs in soil samples collected from different sites in Suzhou, including an electronics factory, an auto-repair factory, a paddy field, and a school field. The results revealed that the contents of OPFRs in the soils from the electronics and auto-repair factories were significantly higher than those in the soils from the paddy and school fields. The main pollutants in the soil samples collected from the electronics and auto-repair factories were TCIPP, TPPO, TCEP, and TDCPP. Moreover, the contents of these compounds were 5.30, 4.44, 4.54, and 4.20 ng/g, in soils from the electronics factory and 2.70, 3.93, 7.60, and 5.04 ng/g, in soils from the auto-repair factory. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to determine high concentrations of TPPO in industrial soils. Thus, the combination of MSPD and GC-MS/MS adopted in this study can provide useful insights into the detection of the 10 OPFRs in soil.

Organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) have emerged as good alternatives to brominated flame retardants, the use of which is globally restricted. In this study, a screening method based on QuEChERS-gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-Q-TOF/MS) was established for the determination of 21 OPFRs in rice. First, full scan (scanning range, m/z 50-450) was performed with a mixed standard solution of the 21 OPFRs (0.1 μg/g) by GC-Q-TOF/MS. The fragmentation pathways of these OPFRs were then investigated to explore their cleavage fragments, the interrelationships among fragments, and the possible cleavage modes of alkylated, chlorinated, and aromatic OPFRs. The retention times, isotopic abundance ratios, and molecular formulas of the characteristic fragments as well as the exact mass of the compounds were obtained to establish a mass spectral library of the OPFRs. Rice samples were extracted and purified by the QuEChERS method, and 0.5% formate acetonitrile solution was used as the extraction solvent; 4 g of magnesium sulfate, 1 g of sodium chloride, 0.5 g of disodium hydrogen citrate, and 1 g of sodium citrate as the extraction-salt combination; and 50 mg of primary secondary amine (PSA), 50 mg of octadecylsilane (C18), and 150 mg of magnesium sulfate as the purification materials. The chromatographic separation of the 21 OPFRs was completed within 16 min under optimized temperature program conditions on the DB-5MS UI column. The screening parameters were optimized, and a full scan of the samples was performed under the following conditions: number of characteristic fragment ions ≥2; accurate mass window=±2×10 -5 (±20 ppm); retention time deviation=±0.2 min, and ion abundance deviation<20%. The developed method was applied to the screening 21 OPFRs in the samples. The results indicated that the matrix interference was greatly reduced by decreasing the extraction accurate mass window, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the analytes. The targets were extracted from the matrix interference and background noise using deconvolution software, which improved the match between the target compounds and the mass spectral library. The detection rates of alkyl and aromatic OPFRs increased by 22% and 25%, respectively, when the spiking level was increased from 2 to 10 ng/g. Among the chlorinated OPFRs, only tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) was not detected at a spiking level of 2 ng/g, indicating that chlorinated OPFRs could be identified even at low concentrations. The characteristic ions of the detected compounds matched those of the home-made mass spectral library well, indicating that the practical application of the home-made mass spectral library. The established screening method was applied in the determination of OPFRs in rice samples from different regions in China. A total of 11 OPFRs were detected, among which trimethyl phosphate (TMP), tri-iso-butyl phosphate (TiBP), and tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl) phosphate (T35DMPP) had the highest detection rates. These results indicate that these three OPFRs are widely used and can easily come into contact with rice samples through various routes. Differences in the types of OPFRs detected in the actual samples may be related to the types of OPFRs produced in local factories. OPFRs can be detected in rice samples by the developed GC-Q-TOF/MS screening method, which is helpful for the identification of OPFRs in complex matrix samples.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) have attracted significant attention because of their persistence, biotoxicity, bioaccumulation, and long-range migration. Given their worldwide detection in a variety of environmental matrices, concerns related to the high exposure risks of SCCPs and MCCPs to humans have grown. Thus, knowledge of the contamination patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs and their distribution characteristics in the vivo exposure of humans is of great importance. However, little information is available on the contamination of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood/plasma/serum, mainly because of the difficulty of sample preparation and quantitative analysis. In this study, a new blood sample pretreatment method based on Percoll discontinuous density gradient centrifugation was developed to separate plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets from human whole blood. A series of Percoll sodium chloride buffer solutions with mass concentrations of 1.095, 1.077, and 1.060 g/mL were placed in a centrifuge tube from top to bottom to establish discontinuous density gradients. The dosage for each density gradient was 1.5 mL. Human whole blood samples mixed with 0.85% sodium chloride aqueous solution were then added to the top layer of the Percoll sodium chloride solution. After centrifugation, the whole blood was separated into four components. The plasma was located at the top layer of the centrifuge tube, whereas the platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells were retained at the junction of the various Percoll sodium chloride solutions. The sampling volume of human whole blood and incubation time were optimized, and results indicated that an excessively long incubation time could lead to hemolysis, resulting in a decrease in the recoveries of SCCPs and MCCPs. Therefore, a sampling volume of 1.5 mL and incubation time of 10 min at 4 ℃ were adopted. The cells of the blood components were further broken and extracted by ultrasonic pretreatment, followed by multilayer silica gel column chromatography for lipid removal. The use of 80 mL of n -hexane-dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v) and 50 mL of dichloromethane as the elution solvents (collected together) for the gel column separated the SCCPs and MCCPs from the lipid molecules in the blood samples. Gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-LRMS) was used to determine the SCCPs and MCCPs. Quantification using the corrected total response factor with degrees of chlorination was achieved with linear corrections ( R =0.912 and 0.929 for the SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively). The method detection limits (MDLs) for the SCCPs and MCCPs were 1.57 and 8.29 ng/g wet weight (ww, 2 =7), respectively. The extraction internal standard recoveries were 67.0%-126.6% for the SCCPs and 69.5%-120.5% for the MCCPs. The developed method was applied to determine SCCPs and MCCPs in actual human whole blood samples. The contents of SCCPs and MCCPs were 10.81-65.23 and 31.82-105.65 ng/g (ww), respectively. Red blood cells exhibited the highest contents of CPs, followed by plasma, white blood cells, and platelets. The proportions of SCCPs and MCCPs in red blood cells and plasma were 70% and 66%, respectively. In all four components, the MCCP contents were higher than the SCCP contents, and the ratios of MCCPs to SCCPs ranged from 1.04 to 3.78. Similar congener patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs were found in the four components of human whole blood. C n =7), respectively. The extraction internal standard recoveries were 67.0%-126.6% for the SCCPs and 69.5%-120.5% for the MCCPs. The developed method was applied to determine SCCPs and MCCPs in actual human whole blood samples. The contents of SCCPs and MCCPs were 10.81-65.23 and 31.82-105.65 ng/g (ww), respectively. Red blood cells exhibited the highest contents of CPs, followed by plasma, white blood cells, and platelets. The proportions of SCCPs and MCCPs in red blood cells and plasma were 70% and 66%, respectively. In all four components, the MCCP contents were higher than the SCCP contents, and the ratios of MCCPs to SCCPs ranged from 1.04 to 3.78. Similar congener patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs were found in the four components of human whole blood. C 10 -CPs and C 14 -CPs were predominantly observed in the SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively. In summary, a simple and efficient method was proposed to determine low concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood with high sensitivity and selectivity. This method can meet requirements for the quantitative analysis of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood components, thereby providing technical support for human health risk assessment.

Bisphenols are endocrine disruptors that are characterized with bioaccumulation, persistence, and estrogenic activity. Even low contents of bisphenols can exert adverse effects on human health and the ecological environment. Herein, a method combining accelerated solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction purification with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the accurate detection of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol B (BPB), bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol Z (BPZ), bisphenol AF (BPAF), and bisphenol AP (BPAP) in sediments. The mass spectrometric parameters of the seven bisphenols were optimized, and the response values, separation effects, and chromatographic peak shapes of the target compounds were compared under three different mobile phase conditions. The sediment samples were pretreated by accelerated solvent extraction, and orthogonal tests were used to optimize the extraction solvent, extraction temperature, and cycle number. The results showed that the use of 0.05% (v/v) ammonia and acetonitrile as the mobile phase for gradient elution could rapidly separate the seven bisphenols on an Acquity UPLC BEH C 18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). The gradient program was as follows: 0-2 min, 60%A; 2-6 min, 60%A-40%A; 6-6.5 min, 40%A; 6.5-7 min, 40%A-60%A; 7-8 min, 60%A. Orthogonal experiments indicated that the optimal extraction conditions were as follows: extraction solvent of acetonitrile, extraction temperature of 100 ℃, and cycle number of three. The seven bisphenols showed good linearity in the range of 1.0-200 μg/L, with correlation coefficients ( r ) greater than 0.999, and the limits of detection were 0.01-0.3 ng/g. The recoveries for the seven bisphenols ranged from 74.9% to 102.8% at three spiking levels (2.0, 10, 20 ng/g), with relative standard deviations ranging from 6.2% to 10.3%. The established method was applied to detect the seven bisphenols in sediment samples collected from Luoma Lake and its inflow rivers. BPA, BPB, BPF, BPS, and BPAF were detected in the sediments of the lake, and BPA, BPF, and BPS were detected in the sediments of its inflow rivers. The detection frequency of BPA and BPF was 100%, and the contents of these bisphenols in the sediment were 11.9-38.0 ng/g and 11.0-27.3 ng/g, respectively. The developed method is simple, rapid with high accuracy and precision, and is suitable for the determination of the seven bisphenols in sediment.2 ) greater than 0.999, and the limits of detection were 0.01-0.3 ng/g. The recoveries for the seven bisphenols ranged from 74.9% to 102.8% at three spiking levels (2.0, 10, 20 ng/g), with relative standard deviations ranging from 6.2% to 10.3%. The established method was applied to detect the seven bisphenols in sediment samples collected from Luoma Lake and its inflow rivers. BPA, BPB, BPF, BPS, and BPAF were detected in the sediments of the lake, and BPA, BPF, and BPS were detected in the sediments of its inflow rivers. The detection frequency of BPA and BPF was 100%, and the contents of these bisphenols in the sediment were 11.9-38.0 ng/g and 11.0-27.3 ng/g, respectively. The developed method is simple, rapid with high accuracy and precision, and is suitable for the determination of the seven bisphenols in sediment.

Organophosphate diesters (Di-OPEs) are biotic or abiotic degradation products of organophosphate esters (OPEs). Current analytical methods focus on detecting Di-OPEs in human urine. Human exposure to Di-OPEs in environmental matrices has not been systematically studied. Soil plays an important role in the environmental migration and transformation of organic pollutants. Previous studies found that OPEs are ubiquitous in soil. However, few studies reported OPEs metabolite pollution in soil, especially in facility vegetable soil. In this study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UPHLC-Orbitrap HRMS) method was developed for the determination of five Di-OPEs (bis(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (BCEP), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCP), di- n -butyl phosphate (DnBP), diphenyl phosphate (DPhP), and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (DEHP)) in the facility vegetable soil. The pretreatment process and chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions were optimized in the present study. Comparative study of the purification effects of different solid-phase extraction columns showed that Oasis WAX cartridge had best purification efficiency for the five Di-OPEs. The cartridge was first activated using 3 mL methanol, 3 mL methanol containing 5% (v/v) ammonia, and 3 mL 0.1 mol/L sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer solution. Then, the cartridge was rinsed with 3 mL of 30% (v/v) methanol aqueous solution, and finally eluted using 8 mL methanol containing 5% (v/v) ammonia. The effects of mobile phase (with respect to solvent composition and flow rate) and column temperature on the shape and intensity of chromatographic peaks were studied. The optimized UHPLC conditions were as follows: chromatographic column, Thermo Accucore RP-MS; column temperature, 30 ℃; mobile phase, 0.2 mmol/L ammonium acetate aqueous solution and methanol; flow rate, 0.2 mL/min. In the UHPLC-Orbitrap HRMS experiment, the five Di-OPEs were analyzed in full MS mode with negative ionization. Instrumental parameters, such as sheath gas and auxiliary gas, were optimized to determine the MS conditions. The optimized Orbitrap HRMS conditions were as follows: heating electrospray ionization source (HESI), full MS mode with negative ionization; scan range, m/z 100-500; ion transfer tube temperature, 320 ℃; automatic gain control of target particle count, 1×10 6 ; sheath gas flow rate, 8.58 L/min; auxiliary gas flow rate, 17.40 L/min; spray voltage, 3.2 kV; and S-lens voltage, 50 V. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.001-0.047 ng/g and 0.004-0.156 ng/g, respectively. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curve were 0.9985-0.9999. At three spiked levels, 5.0, 25.0, and 50.0 ng/g, the recoveries of the five Di-OPEs ranged from 56.9% to 133.0% with relative standard deviations of 4.4%-18.9%. The established method was applied to the analysis of the five Di-OPEs in 16 facility vegetable soils. The detection frequencies of the five Di-OPEs exceeded 60% in all soil samples, indicating that the Di-OPEs were ubiquitous in the facility vegetable soil. The contents of the five Di-OPEs in the facility vegetable soil samples ranged from 2.53-6.94 ng/g. DnBP (1.37-3.20 ng/g) and DPhP (0.47-2.44 ng/g) were the predominant congeners in the facility vegetable soil samples, accounting for 23.4%-68.8% and 16.3%-35.9% of the five Di-OPEs, respectively. The developed method is simple, sensitive, and reproducible and can be used effectively for the determination of Di-OPEs in soil. The results of this study will be helpful for understanding the environmental behavior of Di-OPEs and their human exposure in facility vegetable soils.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have attracted global attention because they are carcinogens and mutagenic to humans. To date, more than 200 PAHs have been found. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has designated 16 PAH species as priority control pollutants due to their highly toxic substances. Herbal incense is frequently used in daily life. As a result, it is critical to investigate its impact on human health and environmental safety. However, research on particle-phase PAHs is very limited and inapplicable. The current research focuses mainly on bamboo incense, which has a simpler formula than herbal incense.In this study, the emission factor and emission characteristics of particle-phase PAHs from herbal incense were described. A method combining ultrasonic and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 16 particle-phase PAHs of herbal incense. The settings for extraction solvent, ultrasonic time, and instrument analysis conditions were optimized. In the test chamber, samples were collected by burning 0.8 g of herbal incense. After combustion, PAHs adsorbing on the particles of herbal incense were collected on a quartz filter. The whole filter sample was sliced and extracted with n -hexane-dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v). A rotary evaporator was used to concentrate the extract. GC-MS was used to analyze the prepared sample. The internal standard method was used to perform quantitative analysis on the target compounds. The linearities of the 16 target PAHs were good between mass concentrations of 0.1-5.0 μg/mL, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.998. The method detection limits (MDLs) of the 16 PAHs ranged from 0.4 to 3.8 ng/g. The 0.625 μg/g and 1.25 μg/g spiked recoveries ranged from 77.4% to 99.5% and 82.0% to 101.3%, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the 16 PAHs were ranged from 0.7% to 7.2% ( n =6). The emission factors of particle-phase PAHs from five different kinds of herbal incense ranged from 4.60 to 11.89 μg/g. The highest concentration of phenanthrene (Phe) was found in 16 particle-phase individual PAHs of herbal incense. Fluoranthene (Flu), pyrene (Pyr), chrysene (Chr) and anthracene (Ant) concentration were ranked after Phe. The sum of these five proportions was 73.00%-89.97%. The proportion of Phe in herbal incense particle-phase PAHs was significantly higher than that of other indoor combustion sources. As a result, Phe could be used to identify individual PAHs in the particle-phase of herbal incense. The particle-phase PAHs were mainly distributed on the 3-ring and 4-ring, with a sum of 83.84% to 96.31% on the 3-ring and 4-ring. The proportion of high-molecular weight PAHs in the samples ranged from 44.25% to 63.31%. The proportion of low-molecular weight PAHs in the samples ranged from 36.69% to 55.75%. The incense source could be distinguished from other indoor combustion sources by its distinctive Phe/Flu ratio. The established method has high sensitivity, simple operation, and requires fewer samples. This method is suitable for rapidly detecting PAHs in burning incense. At the same time, it provides scientific data for further studies on the distribution and health effects of particle-phase PAHs of herbal incense.

A new method for sample pretreatment using improved QuEChERs was established, and 289 organic pollutants with health risks could be identified and quantified through gas chromatography-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-Orbitrap HRMS). A high-resolution database of 289 environmental pollutants belonging to ten categories, including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates (PAEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other agricultural chemicals (ACs), was established for the non-targeted screening and quantitative analysis. A simple method for biological sample preparation using improved QuEChERs was proposed by combining a conventional QuEChERs method and a column purification method. After purification using a Florisil column, the lipid content was reduced by 99.9%, which significantly reduced the interference of the matrix effect observed during the analysis. Furthermore, simultaneous high-accuracy qualitative screening and quantitative analysis of the target compounds were performed through high-resolution mass spectrometry (60000 resolution) conducted in the full scan mode. The limits of quantification were 0.56-57.8 pg/g, presenting a large linear range (~10 6 ), and the recovery range was 40%-120%. Due to the high-resolution and sensitivity of Q Exactive GC-Orbitrap HRMS, the limits of quantification of the target compounds were significantly lower than those achieved through methods based on conventional chromatography and mass spectrometry. Moreover, ultratrace organic contaminants that cannot be detected by conventional methods can be accurately quantified by the proposed method. Sea cucumber samples collected at the breeding site were analyzed using the proposed high-coverage multi-objective analytical method, and more than 100 types of organic pollutants were detected; the mean contents of PAHs, ACs, PAEs, and OCPs were 157.8, 153.2, 64.4, and 46.4 ng/g dw, respectively, which were higher than those of other pollutants. Some new contaminants, such as 9-chlorofluorene, 5-chloroacenaphthene, and 3-methylcholanthrene, were detected at very low contents for the first time in the sea cucumber samples. The proposed method is simple and efficient, allows the detection of pollutants at very low contents, and provides accurate and reliable results. Thus, this high-coverage multi-objective analytical method can be widely used for broad-spectrum screening and accurate quantification of contaminants in various aquatic products, providing technical support for food safety control.

Emerging pollutants (EPs) are chemical substances that are commonly not regulated and can be detected at low or very low concentrations. However, EPs have triggered special concern because their long-term adverse effects on the environment and human health remain unknown. Most EPs show biological toxicity, environmental persistence, and bioaccumulation. Even at low concentrations in the environment, EPs may pose significant environmental and health risks. Therefore, their treatment has been explicitly included in the 14th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China and the Outline of the Long-term Goals for 2035. Soil is a source of pollutants, and its quality is directly related to economic development, ecological security, and people's livelihood. At present, China's soil environmental monitoring system is not perfect, and the ability to monitor these new organic pollutants is lagging. Therefore, to strengthen the supervision of construction and agricultural land soil environments, it is essential to strengthen the soil environment monitoring ability for these EPs and establish a reliable, steady, and economic analysis method, including their separation and analysis methods in soil. Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) have received considerable attention as emerging halogenated compounds. They were listed in Annexes A and C of the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in 2015 because of their persistence, multimedia fate, and toxicity. PCNs have now been detected in the surrounding soils. Owing to their trace levels in complex soil, high requirements have been put forward for the pretreatment and instrument analysis of PCNs. This study aims to develop a new method for the selective purification of PCNs in soil, which can not only effectively remove lipids and other interferences in soil but also effectively reduce time, labor, and material costs in the pre-treatment process. Based on the physicochemical properties of the 13X molecular sieve, it was explored to purify soil-extracts as solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents. With n-hexane as the loading and rinsing solvent, 10 mL of a dichloromethane/n-hexane mixture (2∶15, v/v) was used to elute the PCNs. Moreover, selective separation of target substances from lipid macromolecules and other interferences could be achieved simultaneously. For the selective separation of PCNs, the average recovery of the internal standard could reach 56.1% to 88.0%. 13X molecular sieves are superior to gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and Florisil SPE, and they exhibit good cleanup efficiency similar to a multilayer silica gel/alumina column (53.0%-117.0%). Although the obtained recoveries are not as high as those obtained with a multilayer silica gel/alumina column, 13X molecular sieves have advantages in terms of simple operation, environmental friendliness, and low cost. Based on these fundamental experiments, accelerated solvent extraction was used to extract targets in soil, molecular sieves were used as SPE sorbents for purification, and GC-MS/MS was employed for PCN analysis. This method was developed as a systematic analytical method for PCNs determination. The method detection limits (MDLs) for PCN homologs were in the range of 0.009-0.6 ng/g. The precision and accuracy of the method were evaluated using spiked matrices. At three spiked levels (4, 10, and 18 ng), the recoveries of PCNs (CN-3, 13, 42, 46, 52, 53, 73, and 75) were 70%-128%, 71%-115%, and 61%-114%, respectively, and the corresponding relative standard derivations were 4.2%-23%, 6.5%-31% and 4.7%-22%. Thus, this method meets the requirements of trace analysis and shows acceptable parallelism, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision, thus being feasible for the analysis of emerging pollutant. The method is expected to play an important role in sample pretreatment in the future, especially for the nationwide investigation of soil pollution.

This study aimed to establish a method for the rapid determination of trace estrogens in honey samples by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) using imine-linked porous covalent organic framework material (IL-COF-1) as the adsorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE). Estradiol (E 1 ), diethylstilbestrol (DES), estriol (E 3 ), β -estradiol (E 2 ), and ethinylestradiol (EE 2 ) were used as the target analytes. A single factor optimization method was performed to optimize the extraction effect by adding estrogens to honey samples. The optimal conditions were as follows. A total of 30 mg IL-COF-1 was filled in the SPE column. The sample pH was adjusted to 7. The sample was loaded at a flow rate of 3 mL/min and eluted with 5 mL of a 1% (v/v) NH 3 ·H 2 O-methanol solution. The flow rate of the eluent was 0.4 mL/min. NaCl was not added in the extraction process. HPLC coupled to electrospray ionization and triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was introduced to quantify the estrogens in the extracts. The estrogens were separated on a Thermo Fisher Scientific C18 analytical column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 5 μm). Acetonitrile and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate solution were used as the mobile phases for gradient elution. The column temperature was set at 40 ℃, and the autosampler temperature was maintained at 10 ℃. The rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of the five estrogens in the honey samples was operated under multiple reaction monitoring mode in a negative electrospray ion source mode. IL-COF-1 prepared in six batches was used as a filler for the SPE column. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the recoveries of the estrogens among different batches were 5.2%-9.1%. The reusability of IL-COF-1 material was assessed. After six SPE cycles on the same solid-phase extraction column, the RSDs of the estrogen recoveries were 2.5%-6.1%, indicating that IL-COF-1 has good reusability. The recoveries of estrogens obtained on an IL-COF-1 solid-phase extraction column within 6 days (tested once a day) were 95.1%-107.4%, and the RSDs were 6.2%-8.9%. These results confirmed that the SPE filler had good stability. The method validation results showed that the linear detection ranges were 1-500 ng/g for E 3 , E 2 , and EE 2 , and 0.1-100 ng/g for E 1 and DES withe the correlation coefficients of 0.9934-0.9972. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N =3) were 0.01-0.30 ng/g, and the limits of quantification (LOQs, S/N =10) were 0.05-0.95 ng/g. Five estrogens were added (50 ng/g) for the repeated experiments. The RSDs of the intra-day precision were 3.2%-6.6%. The RSDs of the inter-day precision were 4.2%-7.9%. This method was applied to determine the estrogen levels in four honey samples, and no estrogen was found. The recoveries of the five estrogens in sample spiked at three levels including low, middle, and high levels were investigated, and satisfactory recoveries (80.1%-115.2%) were obtained. The SPE-HPLC-MS/MS method based on IL-COF-1 is rapid, accurate, and sensitive, making it suitable for analyzing and detecting estrogen in honey. Further exploration of the use of IL-COF-1 for the extraction processes is in progress.

A method for the determination of 14 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in human serum using isotope internal standard-gas chromatography-high resolution dual-focus magnetic mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) was developed. After thawed to room temperature, 0.5 mL serum samples were mixed with 13 C-labeled isotopic internal standard. Subsequently, methanol was added to precipitate the proteins in the samples. The effects of three kinds of acids on the removal of cellulite from the serum samples and the corresponding recoveries were compared, and the results revealed that sulfuric acid was the most optimal. The target compounds were extracted by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), and the effects of different extraction solvents on recoveries were compared. The results indicated that n -hexane (6 mL)-methyl tert -butyl ether (6 mL) was the best extraction solvent. The extracts were cleaned and eluted using solid phase extraction cartridges. Furthermore, the factors that influenced the cleanup effects and recoveries, including the solid phase extraction columns and elution solvents, were investigated in detail. The results indicated that the optimal conditions were cleanup with a silica gel column and elution with hexane-dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v). The eluate was re-dissolved in hexane after being blown to near dryness using nitrogen. The detection of PBDEs was performed using GC-HRMS. The instrument conditions were optimized, and the capillary column used was an Rtx-1614 column (30 m×0.25 mm×0.1 μm). Helium was used as the carrier gas at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The injector temperature was 290 ℃, and the oven temperature was programmed as follows: 150 ℃ for 2 min, 150 ℃ to 250 ℃ at 15 ℃/min, held for 1 min, 250 ℃ to 290 ℃ at 25 ℃/min, held for 3 min, and 290 ℃ to 320 ℃ at 25 ℃/min, held for 12.5 min. The injection volume was 1 μL in splitless mode. The samples were ionized in the positive electron ionization (EI) mode at 35 eV. Precursor ions and the production of each compound were identified using a voltage-selective ion detection (VSIR) program with a resolution of 10000. The ionization temperature was set at 280 ℃, and the transmission line temperature was set at 320 ℃. To ensure the integrity of the separation of low-brominated components, the column separation time was shortened, the response of high-boiling components was improved (BDE-190 and BDE-209), the decomposition of BDE-209 on the chromatographic column was effectively prevented, and the requirement of the simultaneous determination of multiple PBDEs was met. The method demonstrated good linearity in the range of 0.40 to 25 μg/L for BDE-209, and 0.08 to 5 μg/L for the other 13 PBDEs, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.995. The method detection limits (MDLs) were in the range of 0.01 to 0.51 μg/L, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.04 to 1.70 μg/L. The recoveries of the 14 compounds ranged from 75.5% to 120.7%. The intra-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were within 3.8%-10.9% ( n =6) and the inter-day RSDs were within 4.2% to 12.4% ( n =6). This method was successfully applied to the determination of 14 PBDEs in 15 serum samples from an adolescent population in an area. Notably, 1.86 to 4.66 ng/g lipid BDE-47 was detected in the serum samples with a detection frequency of 100%, and the other compounds were not detected. The results imply that the adolescent population in this region was exposed to some PBDE. Compared with the existing methods reported, this method has less sample demand and higher sensitivity and accuracy, can simultaneously determine 14 PBDEs, including BDE-209 in human serum, and effectively improve the efficiency of detection. This study offers a new method for studying the impact of polybrominated diphenyl ethers on population health in China.

An analytical method based on headspace gas chromatography was developed for the determination of eight organic residues in ion exchange resins, methyl isopropyl ketone, methyl butyrate, 3-pentanone, 1,3-diethyl benzene, 1,4-diethyl benzene, dichloroethane, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, and methyl methacrylate. The organic residues in different types of resins were studied to provide a basis for the safe use of ion-exchange resins in food and medicine. The main factors (chromatographic column, equilibrium temperature, equilibrium time, flow rate, etc.) that affect the accuracy and sensitivity of the eight organic residues were investigated during instrument analysis. The extraction solvent and chromatographic conditions for the samples were optimized. According to the extraction efficiencies of methyl benzene, methyl alcohol and dimethyl sulfoxide, 2.0 g of the sample was extracted with dimethyl sulfoxide under ultrasonic conditions at 20 ℃. A DB-23 chromatographic column (60 m×0.32 mm×0.25 μm) and hydrogen flame ionization detector (FID) were selected for the GC method, and good separation and quantitative results were obtained for the eight organic residues. The process and conditions are summarized as follows. The equilibration time of the headspace sampler was 30 min, and the equilibrium temperature was 80 ℃. The temperature of the sampler was 240 ℃, while that of the FID detector was 300 ℃, with nitrogen being used as the carrier gas. The programmed temperature of the column was maintained at 60 ℃ for 16 min, then increased to 200 ℃ at a heating rate of 20 ℃/min, and maintained at this level for 2 min. The flow rate was 1.2 mL/min for detection. The external standard method was utilized for quantitative analysis. Good linear relationships were observed for the eight organic residues, and the correlation coefficients ( R ) were all above 0.999 in the mass concentration range of 0.02-200 mg/L. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.0050-0.0375 ng/g. The average recoveries for the eight organic residues were in the range of 82.3% to 109.2% at three spiked levels, and the relative standard deviation (RSD, 2 =6) was 1.06% to 4.16%. Eleven types of resin samples were detected by this method, and a certain amount of organic compounds were observed in the resin samples. The methyl methacrylate content in the methacrylate resin XAD761 was 414.4 μg/g, while that in the styrene resin LX-69B was as high as 470.8 μg/g. As opposed to traditional analytical methods, the present method has high sensitivity, good accuracy, and precision, with simple operation without derivatization or the need for acid-base treatment of the sample to reduce contamination. This method can be used to simultaneously detect a variety of organic residues in ion-exchange resins, so that the detection efficiency is significantly improved.n =6) was 1.06% to 4.16%. Eleven types of resin samples were detected by this method, and a certain amount of organic compounds were observed in the resin samples. The methyl methacrylate content in the methacrylate resin XAD761 was 414.4 μg/g, while that in the styrene resin LX-69B was as high as 470.8 μg/g. As opposed to traditional analytical methods, the present method has high sensitivity, good accuracy, and precision, with simple operation without derivatization or the need for acid-base treatment of the sample to reduce contamination. This method can be used to simultaneously detect a variety of organic residues in ion-exchange resins, so that the detection efficiency is significantly improved.

Pyrethroids (PYs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely used to control pests and diseases in plants; however, they threaten human health. In this study, a metal-organic framework/carbon-nitrogen nanosheet composite nanomaterial (UiO-66/HOCN)-coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was prepared by in-situ thermal polymerization. The prepared UiO-66/HOCN composite material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and zeta potentiometry. The prepared UiO-66/HOCN composite-coated MSPE fiber was used for the enrichment and separation of OCPs and PYs, which showed good thermal and chemical stability as well as high extraction efficiency. Combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), an efficient and sensitive method for the detection of trace levels of OCPs and PYs was developed. Under the optimal experimental conditions, wide linear ranges (0.1-800.0 ng/L), good linearity (≥ 0.9978), low limits of detection (0.03-0.30 ng/L), and acceptable repeatability (RSD ≤ 8.9%, n =3) were obtained. Typical black tea samples were analyzed by the developed method, and trace levels of aldrin (6.6 ng/g), α -endosulfan (54.7 ng/g), and bifenthrin (185.8 ng/g) were detected. The results demonstrate that the developed method has immense potential for the detection of pesticides in a complicated matrix.

An ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of seven heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCAs) in oil and fried food samples. The samples were extracted with acetonitrile containing 1% (v/v) ammonia water, defatted by n -hexane saturated with acetonitrile, and cleaned up with PCX solid phase extraction column. The extracts were separated on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 reversed-phase column (50 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with gradient elution by using acetonitrile-10 mmol/L ammonium formate aqueous solution as the mobile phase. Quantitative detection was performed by using a positive-ion electrospray ionization source in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, employing an internal isotope standard. The method showed good linear relationships in the range of 0.5-100 μg/L for the seven HCAs with correlation coefficients ( R )>0.999. The average recoveries ranged from 64.31% to 113.8% with the relative standard deviations of 0.18%-9.26% at the three spiked levels in oil and fried food samples. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.01-0.14 ng/g and 0.09-0.38 ng/g, respectively. The method is sensitive, accurate, and suitable for the determination and confirmation of the seven HCAs in oil and fried food samples.2 )>0.999. The average recoveries ranged from 64.31% to 113.8% with the relative standard deviations of 0.18%-9.26% at the three spiked levels in oil and fried food samples. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.01-0.14 ng/g and 0.09-0.38 ng/g, respectively. The method is sensitive, accurate, and suitable for the determination and confirmation of the seven HCAs in oil and fried food samples.

A method combining QuEChERS with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of higenamine in Chinese herbal medicine, condiments, and topical medicine. The sample was subjected to extraction using a formic acid-ethanol mixture, followed by purification of the QuEChERS sorbents; then, the extraction solution was introduced into the LC-MS/MS system for detection in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of the developed method was 0.03 ng/g, and the linear range was 0.10-100 ng/g with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.33% (0.5 ng/g, n =7). The method was then applied to the determination of higenamine in 13 kinds of Chinese herbal medicine, four kinds of condiments, and a topical medicine. Higenamine was detected in dried lotus leaf, dried lotus seed, Chinese yam, Yuzhu, Yam, Sichuan pepper, Cassia, and the topical medicine at 9667.6, 1183.8, 21.5, 8.2, 8.5, 148.6, 21.3, and 173.3 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of higenamine in Sichuan pepper and cassia was 92.6%-109.8%. In conclusion, the method is fast, simple, reliable, and suitable for use in batch operation.

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) in marinated pig feet and hocks by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The five COPs were 7 β -hydroxycholesterol, cholesterol-5 α ,6 α -epoxide, 3 β ,5 α ,6 β -trihydroxycholestane, 25-hydroxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol. The sample was extracted with methanol-chloroform (1:2, v/v) and purified by solid phase extraction. Subsequently, the sample was collected for derivatization by N,O -bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide-trimethyl chlorosilane-1-trimethylsilyllimidazole (3:2:3, v/v/v) (Sylon BTZ). The column temperature was properly programmed, and the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode was used for the determination of COPs. Under optimum conditions, the five COPs were well separated within 22 min with good separation. The linear range of the five COPs met the requirement of determination, and the average recoveries of the five COPs spiked in the pork samples at three levels were 61.16%-96.96% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) no more than 7.80% ( n =3). The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.02-47.07 ng/g and 0.06-156.90 ng/g, respectively. This method has a wide line arrange and high sensitivity, and has been successfully applied to the analysis of COPs in actual samples.

An analytical method based on matrix solid-phase dispersive (MSPD) extraction and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was established for the determination of forchlorfenuron, 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), N -(2-ethylhexyl)-5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboximide (MGK 264) and paclobutrazol in batatas. The samples were dispersed with silica by grinding, and then extracted with methanol. The determination was carried out on a Thermo hypersil GOLD C18 column (150 mm×2.1 mm, 5 μm) in gradient elution with mobile phases of methanol and ammonium formate (5 mmol/L, containing 0.1% (v/v) formic acid) and detected with tandem mass spectrometry using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The quantification was performed using external standard calibration, and the calibration curves were performed in the ranges of 10.8-216.0 ng/g (forchlorfenuron), 10.8-216.0 ng/g (6-BA), 12.5-250.0 ng/g (MGK 264), 10.2-204.0 ng/g (paclobutrazol) with the correlation coefficients larger than 0.96. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.1-0.3 ng/g. The spiked recoveries at the levels of 50, 100 and 200 ng/g of these four plant growth regulators were in the range of 85.3%-116.0%, and the relative standard deviations were 0.6%-22.7%. This method has advantages of simple operation and good accuracy, and can be used for the quantitative determination of forchlorfenuron, 6-BA, MGK 264 and paclobutrazol in batatas.

Gibberellins (GAs) are a class of phytohormones that exert profound and diverse effects on plant growth and development, such as seed germination and leaf expansion. Up to now, 136 members of GAs have been identified and recognized. All known GAs are diterpenoid acids with similar chemical structures, only double bonds, hydroxyl numbers and locations on gibberellin alkane skeleton are different. However, the content of GAs in plants is of ultra trace levels (usually at ng/g and even pg/g levels) with little ultraviolet (UV) absorption, no fluorescence and no distinguishing chemical characteristics. Moreover, the matrix of plant samples is complicated. Thus, quantification of GAs is always extremely difficult. Nowadays, the bottle necks for the study of GAs in plants are due to the lack of efficient sample preparation and sensitive detection techniques. This article reviews the analytical methods for determination of GAs in recent years, hoping to provide some references to develop new methods and techniques.

For determination of the eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine sediments based on gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD), a rapid and effective method for simultaneous sample extraction and purification was developed, in which ultrasonically assisted alkaline hydrolysis was combined with solvent extraction. The sediment sample was processed in an ultrasonic bath in 2. 00 mol/L NaOH-methanol solution for 30 min, and subsequently extracted by n-hexane. The organic phase was then separated and purified by silica column and concentrated to 100 µL for GC-ECD analysis. Under the optimized conditions, the recoveries and relative standard deviations (RSDs) for eight PBDE congeners ranged from 63.6% to 110.3% and from 1.7% to 10.5% (n = 5), respectively. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) ranged from 0.002 to 0.011 ng/g except for deca-brominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209), which was 0.097 ng/g. With high accuracy, good stability and adequate recovery, the established method was successfully applied to the analysis of PBDEs in the surface sediments from Bohai Sea. The concentrations of ∑8PBDEs (sum of 2,4,4'-tribromodiphenyl ether (BDE-28), 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), 2, 2', 4, 4', 5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), 2, 2', 4, 4', 6-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE100), 2, 2', 4, 4', 5, 5'- 1.566 to 6.760 ng/g and from 1.461 to 6.438 ng/g, respectively. A decreasing gradient of concentration was basically observed with increasing distance off the shore, indicating that anthropogenic activities, surface runoff and river inputs may be the sources of PBDEs in the sediments from Bohai Sea.

A method was developed for the determination of 17 cytokinins in rice by solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The rice samples were cryogenically ground under liquid nitrogen and extracted with methanol-water (80:20, v/v) at 4 °C for 16 h. The supernatant was purified on a column packed with polymer cation exchange resin (PCX). The samples were transported and eluted on an analytical column ZORBAX Extend-C18 (100 mm x 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) by methanol and 5 mmol/L ammonium formate aqueous solution. All the analytes were detected in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode under positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) and quantified by external standard method. The separation conditions were optimized in order to achieve the sufficient separation for the several isomers of cytokinins, such as trans-zeatin-7-glucoside (tZ7G), trans-zeatin-9-glucoside (tZ9G), and trans-zeatin-O-glucoside (tZOG). Moreover, the extraction efficiency of different extraction solvents and clean-up effects of PCX cartridge for each analyte were further investigated. The results showed that the correlation coefficients were not less than 0.9984 in the linear range, and the limits of detection were ranged from 0.01 to 0.05 ng/g. The mean recoveries of the 17 cytokinins at three spiked levels of 0.2, 1 and 5 ng/g were from 60.2% to 125.4% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 5.4%-29.7% (n = 6). Finally, five endogenous cytokinins were successfully quantified in real sample, and their contents were between 0.02 and 0.93 ng/g. It means that this method is reliable for quantitative analysis of cytokinins in rice.

A sample preparation and analytical method with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/ MS) was developed to detect 19 antibiotic (9 sulfonamides, 4 quinolones, 3 macrolides and 3 others) and 2 sulfonamide metabolite residues in fish muscle. The target compounds were extracted using ASE and purified simultaneously by a C18 resin in the extraction cell. The extracts were evaporated to dryness, and redissolved with the initial mobile phase for HPLC-MS/MS analysis after freezing centrifugation (10,000 r/min, -4 °C) to remove the fat and other matrix compounds further. The separation of the analytes was carried out on an Xterra MS C18 column with methanol-acetonitrile (1:1, v/v) as mobile phase A and 0. 1% formic acid (containing 0. 1% ammonium formate) as mobile phase B. The spiked recoveries of the method were 55. 2%-113. 3%, with the relative standard deviations of 0. 1% - 17. 6% (n = 6). The limits of detection ranged from 0. 003 to 0. 6 ng/g. The method was applied to two fish (Synechogobius hasta and Liza haematocheilus) collected in mariculture areas of Laizhou Bay and six antibiotics were detected, in which the mass concentrations of norfloxacin were highest with mean values of 67. 01 and 27. 58 ng/g, respectively. The method is simple, rapid, highly sensitive, and useful in the study on exposure levels and environmental behavior of the antibiotics.

A method for the simultaneous determination of indole-3-acetic acid, N6-(2-isopentenyl) adenosine, N6-(2-isopentenyl) adenine, trans-zeatin riboside, zeatin, strigolactone, abscisic acid, salicylic acid, gibberellin A3 and jasmonic acid in five different parts of main branch, lateral branch, primary leaf, secondary leaf and stem of Sargasum fusiforme (Hary.) Seichell was established by high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-TQMS). The samples were extracted with methanol/water/formic acid (15 : 4 :1, v/v/v) (containing 0.5% 2, 6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, BHT) after vacuum freeze-drying. The separation was performed on a Hypersil Gold C18 column by using methanol and water as mobile phases with gradient elution. The analytes were detected by tandem mass spectrometry in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The electrospray ionization (ESI) source was used for the quantitative analysis in the positive mode or negative mode. Under the optimized conditions, the correlation coefficients (r) of the ten phytohormones were from 0. 9989 to 1. 0000 in the linear ranges. The detection limits of the ten phytohormones were 0. 001 2-4. 651 2 μ/L. The average recoveries were 72. 24% -91. 31% with the relative standard deviations not more than 6. 59%. In the five parts of fresh Sargasum fusiforme (Hary.) Seichell samples, the contents of the ten phytohormones were from not detected to 4 041. 431 ng/g. This method has good sensitivity, precision, recovery, and can be used to simultaneously determine the phytohormones.

A method was developed for the determination of benzene series (BTEX) in marine sediment by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The conditions for extraction and gas chromatography, such as the amount of salt added, equilibrium time, extraction temperature, extraction time, desorption time and injection temperature, were optimized. The analytes were quantitatively analyzed by the internal standard method. The results showed that the linear correlation coefficients of BTEX compounds were from 0.995 to 0.999 in the range of 0.500-20.0 ng/g. The detection limits of this method were from 0.081 8 to 0. 175 ng/g, with the RSDs of inter- and intra-day of 1.2%-3.6% (n = 5) and 0.4%-6.3% (n = 3). The average recoveries under two different spiked concentrations (2.0 and 15.0 ng) were 61.7%-79.5% and 77.1%-85.6% with RSDs of 5.4%-9.6% and 3.9%-7.6% (n = 5), respectively. This method is quick, sensitive, simple, accurate and reproducible. It can be used to analyze the marine sediment samples with trace BTEX.

A method of high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of thyroid hormones in milk including 3,3',5,5 '-tetraiodothyronine (T4), 3,3', 5-triiodothyronine (T3) and 3,3',5 '-triiodothyronine (rT3). The sample was extracted with acetonitrile and centrifuged, then the up layer was alkalized with concentrated ammonia water and cleaned up with a Cleanert PAX cartridge. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 column (150 mm x 2.1 mm, 3.5 micro m) with the mobile phase of 37% water containing 0.1% (v/v) acetic acid and 63% of methanol with an isocratic elution mode at a flow rate of 0. 3 mL/min. The mass spectrometry detection was performed in positive electrospray ionization and monitored using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode (m/z 652. 0/605. 5 and 652. 0/478. 6 for T3 and rT3; m/z 777. 7/731.7 and 777. 7/604.9 for T4; m/z 784. 0/737.9 and 784. 0/639.4 for T4-13C6). The analytes were identified by their retention times and relative abundance ratios of the characteristic product ions, and quantified by internal standard method. The method was linear with the correlation coefficients ( r2 ) greater than 0. 998 in the concentration ranges investigated. The limits of detection (LODs) were not more than 0.03 ng/g, and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were not more than 0.1 ng/g for the analytes. The recoveries were 80. 61% - 101.7% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.48% - 9.70%. The results of five real milk samples showed that the contents of T3 were 0.59 - 1. 30 ng/g with the RSDs of 2.06% -7.70%, and T4 and rT3 weren't found. The method presents many merits including simple sample pretreatment, high sensitivity, good reproducibility and unequivocal confirmation and quantification for the analytes. It could be used to monitor the levels of thyroid hormones in the milk for safety quality evaluation.

A method for the determination of eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in indoor dust was developed. A vacuum cleaner was used for gathering the house dust, and n-hexane was added and the extraction was performed in an ultrasonic bath. The supernatant was concentrated and then n-hexane was added to 0.1 mL. Gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-NCI/MS) has been investigated for the determination of the eight PBDE congeners in indoor dust. The eight PBDEs were separated within 20 min. The absolute recoveries were 53.2% - 107.6%. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of intra-day were between 2.8% and 16.5%, while the RSDs of inter-day were between 6.4% and 22.6%. The limits of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) were in the range of 0.003 - 0.015 ng/g except the LOD of BDE-209 was 0.15 ng/g. The results indicated that the proposed method is sensitive, accurate, fast, simple, low solvent consumption and suitable for the determination of tri- to deca-BDEs in indoor dust.

A gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method with subcritical water extraction was developed for the determination of 21 organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides in black tea. Under the extraction pressure of 5 MPa, the target compounds were extracted with subcritical water at the temperature of 150 degrees C for 15 min, transferred into acetone-n-hexane (1:1, v/v), and cleaned-up by an ENVI-Carb solid phase extraction (SPE) column. The GC separation was performed on a DB-5 capillary column. The pesticides were determined by MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and quantified by matrix-matched internal standard method. The calibration curves showed good linearities in the range of 5.0-320.0 microg/L with the correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. The limit of quantification (S/N > 10) was 50 ng/g, and the limit of detection (S/N > 3) was 10 ng/g. The recoveries of pesticides spiked in the tea at three levels of 50, 100 and 200 ng/g were ranged from 70. 18% to 119.98% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 5.01%-11.76%. The sensitivity, accuracy and precision of the method meet the technical standard of the pesticide determination. The method can be applied to the determination of organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides in black tea.

An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 10 heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in beef jerky by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography (SPE-HPLC). The HAAs were eluted from an Extrelut NT 20 SPE column with 60 mL dichlormethane (containing 5% toluene), and then the extract was purified with a propylsulfonic acid silica (PRS) column and a C18 SPE column, and finally, the HAAs were stored in a methanol-ammonia solution. The separation was achieved by using a TSK-gel ODS-80 column and a gradient elution with the mobile phases of acetonitrile and 0.05 mol/L acetic acid-ammonium acetate buffer (pH 3.5). The identification and quantitative analysis of the HAAs fraction were carried out using an HPLC system with ultraviolet-fluorescence detectors. The results showed that the correlation coefficients of the 10 HAAs were all above 0.999 and the limits of detection were in the range from 0.02 to 2.46 ng/g. The recoveries of the 10 HAAs spiked in beef samples were 61.69% - 101.81% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 0.28% and 7.81%. 1-Methyl-9H-pyrido[4,3-b] indole (Harman) and 9H-pyrido [4,3-b]indole (Norharman) were detected in all beef jerky, and the total HAAs content of beef jerky were between 16.65 and 60.38 ng/g. This method is with wide linear range and high sensitivity, and is enough for the analysis of the HAAs in actual meat samples.

A method for headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was established for the determination of five commonly used synthetic musks in perfume. Two polycyclic musks (celestolide and tonalide) and three nitro musks (musk ambrette, musk xylene and musk ketone) were used as analytes in the optimization of the analytical method. Six parameters, such as the extraction temperature, equilibrium time, extraction time, desorption time, injector temperature and solution of salting out, were optimized by exposing the 65 microm polydimethylsiloxane-divinyl-benzene (PDMS-DVB) fiber to the headspace of magnetically stirred (600 r/min) sample. According to the results of the optimization experiments, the following conclusion can be drawn: The water-diluted sample in a 10 mL headspace-vial was efficiently extracted for 20 min after the system was equilibrated for 3 min at 60 degrees C. After extraction, the fiber was immediately inserted into the GC injector and desorbed at 250 degrees C for 3 min. The spiked recoveries were in the range of 82.0% - 103.3% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were between 1.8% and 9.4%. Meanwhile, the limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.6 ng/g to 2.1 ng/g. This method is characterized by rapidity, high sensitivity, good linearity and repeatability for all the target compounds. It is applicable to the analysis of synthetic musks in perfumes.

A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method for the simultaneous extraction of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs)/tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in human serum was developed. The extracts of HBCDs/TBBPA and PBDEs were determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization/mass spectrometry (GC-NCI/MS), respectively. The samples with the spiked internal standards, 13C(12)-HBCD, 13C(12)-TBBPA, 3, 3', 4, 4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-77) and 13C(12)-decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), were extracted using the mixture of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and hexane (1:1, v/v). Then the co-extracted lipid was removed by sulfuric acid treatment. The newly obtained extract was purified using SPE with an LC-Si column and two fractions of HBCDs/TBBPA and PBDEs were finally got. The determination of HBCDs/TBBPA was performed on a 50 mm BEH C18 column in the multi-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and the determination of PBDEs was on a 15 m capillary column in the selected ion-monitoring (SIM) mode. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) ranged from 1.81 to 42.16 pg/g. The average recoveries were from 80.3% to 108.8% at two spiked levels of 0.5 and 5 ng/g for HBCDs, 0.05 and 0.5 ng/g for TBBPA and BDE-209 with the relative standard deviations between 1.02% and 11.42% (n = 5). The developed method has been successfully applied to the determination of the 12 analytes in 42 pooled human serum samples. The levels of TBBPA in the samples ranged from < LOD to 6.58 ng/g, that of alpha-HBCD diastereoisomer ranged from < LOD to 7.22 ng/g, which was the most abundant isomer comparing with beta- and gamma-HBCD. The total PBDEs found ranged from 2.90 to 89.69 ng/g. This method was validated to be accurate and sensitive for the analysis of HBCDs, TBBPA and PBDEs in serum samples.

A method for the analysis of gibberellin A1 (GA1), gibberellin A3 (GA3) and gibberellin A4 (GA4) in Arabidopsis thaliana by matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction (MSPD) and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed. The solid sample of Arabidopsis thaliana was gently blended with C18 to obtain a homogeneous mixture. This mixture was transferred to an SPE cartridge filled with 0.5 g C18 to form a MSPD column. GA1, GA3 and GA4 were eluted with cold 80% methanol aqueous solution. The target compounds were separated on a C18 column with a gradient elution of 0.05% formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The identification and quantification were carried out by using electrospray ionization in negative ion mode (ESI-) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The linear ranges for GA1, GA3 and GA4 were all from 10 to 300 ng/g with correlation coefficients greater than 0.98. The limits of detection were in the range of 1.1-4.1 ng/g. The average recoveries and relative standard deviations were 54.7%-102.6% and 3.2%-12.8% respectively in the spiked range of 10-50 ng/g. The method is simple, sensitive, efficient and accurate. It is suitable for the confirmation and quantitative determination of GA1, GA3 and GA4 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

An accurate method was described for the determination of chloramphenicol (CAP) in pork. The analyte was quantified by isotope dilution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) operating in negative ion multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The sample was treated by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate followed by a clean-up step on an HLB solid-phase extraction cartridge. Chloramphenicol-D5 (CAP-D5) was added as an isotope internal standard. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curve showed a good linearity in ranging from 0.01 to 0.5 ng/g CAP. The correlation coefficient r2 was 0.9998. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification were 0.004 and 0.02 ng/g, respectively. The average recoveries of CAP at 0.02 ng/g and 1.0 ng/g spiked levels ranged from 95.2%-109.1%, 99.7%-102.5%, respectively. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) of intra-day and inter-day were less than 2%. Meanwhile, matrix effect factors k of CAP and CAP-D5 were determined under different mobile phases and the sample solvent composition, the k was in the range of 0.950-1.015. The method can be used as a confirmed method for the determination of CAP in pork.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DP) are two kinds of widely used organic flame retardants, and PBDE and DP residues have been found in both environment and biota. A method for the determination of 8 PBDEs and 2 DPs in fish and fish oil supplements was developed using auto gel permeation chromatography (GPC) coupled with gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization/mass spectrometry (GC-NCI/MS) in the selected ion-monitoring (SIM) mode on a 15 m capillary column. The sample added with BDE-77 and 13C12-BDE-209 as the internal standards was extracted using a Soxhlet extractor, and further purified by auto GPC and a multilayer silica gel column. The sample preparation procedure was optimized, and the characteristic ions and fragmentations of the analytes in NCI/MS were studied. The limits of detection (LODs, S/N = 3) ranged from 2.2 to 39.8 ng/kg. The average recoveries were between 71.1% and 121.4% at two spiked levels of 2 and 20 ng/g for both BDE-209 and DP and 0.2 and 2 ng/g for others with the relative standard deviations between 2.96% and 13.31%. The developed method has been successfully applied in the determination of PBDEs and DPs in several fish and fish oil supplements samples. The total PBDEs found ranged from 2.18 to 15.93 ng/g, and DP was not found. This method was validated to be accurate and sensitive for the trace analysis of PBDEs and DPs in the samples with fat.

A method based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed for simultaneous determination of five yellow industrial dyes. The separations were performed with an Agilent ODS C18 column at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The mobile phase was 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate (containing 0.1% formic acid)-acetonitrile (3:2, v/v). Under the optimized detection conditions, the linear ranges for Chrysoidine G and Basic Yellow 2 were 5.0-80.0 mg/L, and for Acid Orange I, Acid orange Il and Acid Yellow 36 were 10.0-160.0 microg/L. The limits of quantification for Chrysoidine G, Basic Yellow 2, Acid Orange I, Acid Orange II and Acid Yellow 36 were 20, 20, 40, 40 and 40 ng/g, respectively. The relative standard deviations of reproducibility of this method for retention time and peak area were no more than 0.50% and 2.14%, respectively. The method was applied to determine the recoveries of the above five dyes in chicken, bean products and yellow croaker were between 79.8%-95.2% with satisfactory results.

For the analysis of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in shells, an extraction method of mixed inorganic acid digestion coupled with solid phase extraction (SPE) was established. The target compounds were determined by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The shell powder was at first digested with the mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, then the digestion solution was adjusted to pH 6 with sodium hydroxide, and cleaned up with Oasis WAX SPE cartridge. The perfluoro sulfonated chemicals were quantified with HPLC-MS/MS using electrospray ionization in negative ion mode with internal standard method. The limits of detection (LODs) were of 0.28 ng/g for PFBS, 0.42 ng/g for PFHxS and 0.43 ng/g for PFOS, and matrix recoveries of the perfluoro sulfonated chemicals were 94.88%-96.24%. The analytical results for the shells of two bivalves from Bohai Bay showed this pretreatment method is suitable for the determination of perfluoro sulfonated acids (PFSAs) in shells. Concentrations of PFSAs in the shells ranged from < LOD-0.70 ng/g, which were an order of magnitude lower than those in the soft tissues of these bivalves.

The effects of four pretreatment methods (acetonitrile extraction-evaporation concentration, acetonitrile extraction-solid phase extraction (SPE), matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction and MSPD-SPE) for the simultaneous analysis of diclazuril and toltrazuril residues in chicken tissues were compared. The average recovery of 70% for the former three methods as achieved. In comparison with other methods, the MSPD method saved more than 60% in time and solvent. So, MSPD as the sample pretreatment method, an MSPD-high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (MSPD-HPLC/UV) method was established for the analysis. Under the optimal chromatographic conditions, the linear range was between 50 and 1,000 microg/kg. At the added levels of 50, 500, 1,000 ng/g, the recoveries of diclazuril and toltrazuril in chicken tissues ranged from 71.13% - 84.02% with the relative standard deviations (RSD) in the range of 3.76% - 12.11%, and the RSDs of intra- and interday analyses ranged from 3.70% - 6.77%. The detection limits of diclazuril and toltrazuril were less than 10 microg/kg. The quantitative limits of diclazuril and toltrazuril were less than 20 microg/kg. The method meet the requirements of the residue analysis on accuracy and precision.

A method for the analysis of common antibiotics and metronidazole in cosmetics was developed by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/ MS). One gram of each cosmetic sample was extracted by methanol-water containing 0.1 mol/L formic acid (1:1, v/v). The extracted sample was filtered before being analyzed with UPLC/MS/MS. The effects of formic acid concentration in the mobile phase on the sensitivity and retention time were studied, and the results showed that 1% was the optimum concentration. Seven analytes, minocycline, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, chloramphenicol, metronidazole, can be separated and detected in 5 min, which is much faster than that by the conventional liquid chromatography. The detection limits were 3 - 20 ng/g, and the recoveries were 87% -101%. The calibration curves showed good linearity in the range of 2 - 1 000 microg/L with correlation coefficients larger than 0.995. The method was also applied to determine common antibiotics and metronidazole in 11 real samples from the market. Chloramphenicol was detected in 2 samples and the concentrations were 0.37% and 0.19%; metronidazole was detected in 1 sample and the concentration was 1.02%; others were not detected.

Seven organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in buckwheat were extracted by a homemade 24 cells auto-pressurized liquid extraction instrument (APLE) and then analyzed by gas chromatography with electronic capture detection. The optimal extraction condition was found to be 100 degrees C and 10 MPa for 5 min with acetone/n-hexane (1:1, v/v) as the extraction solvent. The extraction was performed twice for each sample to obtain complete extraction. The buckwheat was mixed with florisil and active carbon before filling into extraction cells. Concentrated sulfuric acid was used in clean up step of the extractant. The standard mixture of OCPs including alpha-benzene hexachloride (BHC), gamma-BHC, delta-BHC, p, p'-dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), p,p'-dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane (p, p'-DDD), o, p-dichloro-diphenyl trichloro-ethane (o,p-DDT), p,p'-DDT was used for the identification and quantification in gas chromatographic analysis. The absolute recoveries of the 7 organochlorine pesticides were between 68%-126% with the relative standard deviations lower 14.7%. The detection limits were between 0.051 - 0.18 ng/g. The relative recoveries were as high as 116%-148% compared with Soxhlet extraction. It shows that the recoveries of APLE are much better than Soxhlet extraction, and the time of extraction for APLE is only about 15 min which is much less than conventional extraction methods.

A new method was established for determining Sudan Red I - IV dyes in eggs using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The target analytes in eggs such as hen eggs, duck eggs and preserved eggs, were extracted by solid-phase dispersion technique with a mixture of chloroform-acetonitrile (9: 1, v/v). The chromatographic separation was achieved on a ZORBAX SB-C18 column. The identification and quantification were performed using MS/MS with multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) and electrospray ionizatio in positive mode. The linearity ranges of Sudan Red I - IV dyes were 0.5 - 100 ng/g, 5.0 - 100 ng/g, 1.0 - 100 ng/g and 2.0 - 100 ng/g, respectively, and all linear correlation coefficient were higher than 0.99. The recoveries of Sudan Red dyes in eggs were between 87.3% and 113% with the relative standard deviations less than 9.1%. The detection limits of this method were 0.1 microg/kg for Sudan Red I, 2.0 microg/kg for Sudan Red II , 0.2 microg/kg for Sudan Red III and 0.4 microg/kg for Sudan Red IV, which could meet the monitoring requirements of the Suda Red dyes both abroad and home.

A method for the detection of the alpha, beta and gamma-diastereoisomers of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDs) in foods of animal origin, such as fish, chick, milk, butter etc., was developed using ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS) and isotope dilution. The HBCDs with the spiked isotopic 13C-HBCDs, the internal standards, were extracted using Soxhiet extraction, and further purified using acidic silica treatment and solid phase extraction. The separation of HBCDs was performed on Waters ACQUITY UPLC system with the column of BEH C8 and the gradient elution solvent of methanol-acetonitrile and water at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The HBCDs were identified on the basis of the retention times and precursor ions, and quantitatively determined under the selected ion recording mode, m/z 640.7 for the [M-H]-ion. The limits of detection (LODs) of HBCDs ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 ng/g; and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.4 to 1.2 ng/g. The average recoveries ranged from 92.9% to 99.3% for the spiked levels of 0.6, 2.0 and 6.0 ng/g. with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 3.1% and 8.0%.

A method for the determination of furan in baby foods was developed using headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry on an HP-PLOT Q capillary column, with D4-furan as an internal standard. The linearities of detection ranged from 10 ng to 70 ng in low concentration and from 50 ng to 400 ng in high concentration, with correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.997, respectively. The detection limit of the method was 3.8 ng/g and the limit of quantification was 10.0 ng/g. The average recoveries at the two spiked levels in different samples ranged from 90.0% to 98.4%, and the relative standard deviations were lower than 10%.

Humic acid-bonded silica was prepared and used as solid-phase extraction material for the pretreatment of Sudan Red dyes in hot chili products, which was followed by high performance liquid chromatographic determination. This sorbent exhibits an excellent adsorption capacity for Sudan Red dyes. A sample was first extracted with n-hexane. Then the extract was cleaned up by humic acid-bonded silica cartridge and eluted with ethanol/dichloromethane (3:7, v/v). Some interferences in hot chili products such as natural pigments and oil were removed by washing step. Good linearities were achieved in the range from 0.05 to 5 mg/L for four Sudan dyes, with linear coefficient r2 values above 0.999. The limits of detection (LOD) in chili powder and chili oil were from 19.8 to 28.8 ng/g and 7.9 to 11.5 ng/g, respectively. Excellent method reproducibility was found by intra- and inter-day precisions (the relative standard deviations less than 9.1% and 8.8%, respectively). Recoveries for them in the real samples were between 82.6% and 94.0%. The proposed method is proved to be simple, rapid, and sensitive in the regular analysis of Sudan Red I, II, III and IV in foods.

A method of high performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization and terbium sensitized fluorescence for simultaneous determination of residues of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and enrofloxacin in chicken was established, based on the effect that Tb3+ can sensibilize fluorescence of fluoroquinolones. Under the optimal chromatographic condition, three fluoroquinolones were separated on a C18 column with 0.05 mol/L acetic acid/acetate buffer-acetonitrile (89:11, v/v) as the mobile phase, and at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min; then were derivatized with 8 x 10(-5) mol/L Tb3+ at 40 degrees C, and at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min; finally were detected using a fluorescence detector (lamda(ex) = 271 nm, lamda(em) = 545 nm). The recoveries of three fluoroquinolones ranged from 66.3%-88.0% at the added levels of 1.0, 10.0, 50.0, and 100.0 ng/g, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 15.0%. The linear range for quantitative analysis was between 0.1 and 500 ng/mL. All the RSDs of the inter-day and intra-day analyses were less than 13.0%. The detection limits were 0.05 ng/g for ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin and 0.08 ng/g for enrofloxacin. The method is sensitive for the determination of multi-residues of fluoroquinolones in chicken.

The 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, included in US EPA Priority Pollutant List, in surface sediments from Huangpu River were qualified and quantified using high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) coupled with photodiode array detector (PDA). On the basis of qualification by retention times, the ultraviolet spectra of 16 PAHs obtained from PDA were used to improve the qualification. Furthermore, benzo [b] fluoranthene, benzo [k] fluoranthene, benzo [a] pyrene and benzo [e] pyrene in sediment samples were identified with the differences of ultraviolet spectra of isomers. The quantitative method for 16 trace PAHs in the sediments was developed. In order to intensify ultraviolet response of target components and reduce those of the interferents, detection wavelengths of 16 PAHs were optimized. The limits of detection were improved further and were from 1.1 to 18.3 ng/g on dry basis, and spiked recoveries from environmental samples were 87% - 113%. Therefore, the quantitative method in this study was sensitive and accurate and was satisfied for the determination of trace PAHs in environmental samples. Finally, the quantitative method was successfully used for the analysis of the surface sediments of Huangpu River. All the PAHs, except acenaphthylene, were detected. The concentrations of the PAHs were 10.1 - 253.0 ng/g and their relative standard deviations (RSD) were less than 10%.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of the residues of malachite green (MG), eucomalachite green (LMG), crystal violet (CV) and leucocrystal violet (LCV) in aquatic products. The target analytes were extracted from homogenized samples with a mixture of acetonitrile and ammonium acetate buffer, partitioned against methylene chloride, and purified on tandem neutral alumina and PRS solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Chromatographic separation was achieved by using a ZORBAX SB-C18 column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of ammonium acetate (0.5 mmol/L) and acetonitrile (10: 90, v/v) without on-line post-column oxidation with PbO2 which had been widely used in the previous methods. Identification and quantification were performed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) with one precursor ion, and two product ions for each analyte and electrospray ionization in positive mode. The limits of detection were 0.5 ng/g. The recoveries were in the range of 77.6% - 98.1%, and the relative standard deviations were less than 8.2%. The results showed that the method is suitable for the determination of residues of MG, LMG, CV and LCV in aquatic products.

The method for the quantitative monitoring of sulfadiazine and sulfamethazine residues in eggs was established by coupling polymer monolith microextraction (PMME) with high performance liquid chromatography and ultra-violet detection (HPLC/UV). The PMME is an effective sample preparation technique, which has been developed on the basis of in-tube solid-phase microextraction. A poly (methacrylic acid-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic capillary column was selected as an extraction device. To obtain the optimum extraction efficiency, several parameters related to PMME, including extraction flow-rate, extraction volume, and pH value of the sample matrix were investigated. The sample solution can be directly injected into the device for extraction after simple extraction with ethanol, dilution with phosphate buffer solution, and centrifugation. Because of the high extraction capacity of the monolith column, low detection limits (S/N=3) (8.8 ng/g for sulfamethazine and 11.2 ng/g for sulfadiazine) and quantification limits (S/N=10) (29.3 ng/g for sulfamethazine and 37.5 ng/g for sulfadiazine) were obtained. The method showed good linearity ranging from 50 to 5000 ng/g. Excellent reproducibility of the method was found by intraday and interday precisions, yielding the relative standard deviations of < or = 7.6% and < or = 8.2%, respectively. Recoveries for them were higher than 65%. Compared with the standard methods used in China, improved results were obtained using this method. The proposed method was proved to be simple, rapid, sensitive, and competent in monitoring sulfadiazine and sulfamethazine residues in eggs.

A new method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction with neutral alumina and co-column purification with graphitized carbon black has been developed to determine aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2 in hot chilli products. The method includes liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection with on-line post-column derivatization with bromine. Optimization of different parameters, such as the type of solid supports for matrix dispersion and co-column clean-up was carried out. The recoveries of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 were 95.4%, 87.3%, 91.5% and 92.6%, respectively, with relative standard deviations ranging from 3.3% to 6.1%. The limits of detection were in the range of 0.10 ng/g (B2, G2) to 0.25 ng/g (B1, G1). In addition, the comparison of the extraction and purification effect of MSPD with immunity affinity column showed that, MSPD is a valid method to analyze aflatoxins in hot chilli products.

A multi-residue analytical method for the simultaneous determination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in rice samples was developed. POPs were extracted from rice with ethyl acetate/n-hexane (80:20, v/v) by sonication, and determined by gas chromatography with electron impact mass spectrometric detection in the selected ion monitoring mode. A fused silica capillary column DB-35MS (30 m x 0.25 mm i.d. x 0.25 microm) was employed. Operating conditions were as follows: injector port temperature, 300 degrees C; column temperature, programming; carrier gas, helium; flow rate, 1.0 mL/min; sample size, 1 microL with splitless injection. The mass spectrometric detector (MSD) was operated in electron impact ionization mode with an ionizing energy of 70 eV. Analysis was performed with selected ion monitoring (SIM) using one target and one or two qualifier ion. POPs were confirmed by their retention times, their qualifier and target ions, and their qualifier/target abundance ratios. Recovery studies were performed at 0.05, 0.1, and 0.5 mg/L spiked levels of each POPs, and the recoveries obtained ranged from 81.99% to 100.60% with relative standard deviations between 2.37% and 18.48%. The detection limits of the method ranged from 0.1 to 5 ng/g for the different POPs except endrin, trans-chlordane and cis-chlordane. The results show that the method developed is sensitive and reliable.

A simple and highly sensitive method has been developed for the determination of bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) in rat tissues by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The rat tissue samples were homogenized-with methanol-ammonium acetate buffer (2:8, v/v) by a high-speed homogenizer and then BPA and 4-NP were extracted by a mixed solvent of n-hexane and diethyl ether (7:3, v/v). The organic layer was evaporated with a stream of nitrogen, and the residue was dissolved in the mobile phase. The chromatographic operating conditions were a C18 column (250 mm x 4. 6 mm i.d., 5 microm), acetonitrile-ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.5) (75:25, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, fluorescence detection with the excitation and emission wavelengths at 227 nm and 313 nm, respectively. Average recoveries for rat tissues at three different levels were in the range of 82.0% -95.4% for BPA and 81.2% -96.5% for 4-NP. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) were 0. 37% - 5.28% and the detection limits were 4.0, 4.6, 3.2, 3.3 ng/g for BPA and 12.0, 15.6, 11.8, 13.8 ng/g for 4-NP in liver, kidney, heart and brain tissues, respectively. The intra-day precisions were 0.89% -4.50%, and the inter-day precisions were 3.10% - 12.40%. These results demonstrated that the proposed method is simple, sensitive, and reliable for the determination of BPA and 4-NP in animal tissues.