Dioxin Analysis by GC-MS

UniSolv® for Accurate and Reliable Results

Dioxins and furans, short for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF), are environmental pollutants with very high toxic potential. They are unintentionally produced in many industrial processes, but can also occur from natural sources. Humans are primarily exposed to dioxins by contaminated food.

Dioxin determination in food is mostly done by GC-MS using dichloromethane, n-Hexane or toluene for sample preparation. Merck offers these three solvents in high-purity UniSolv® grade. Due to its unique features, UniSolv® is perfectly suited for detecting dioxins by established GC-MS methods and offers distinct advantages over alternative solvents.

Feature and Benefits

• accurate and reliable analytical results thanks to lowest impurities in the relevant retention time range (clear baseline),
• application security – tested for GC-MS, suitable for dioxin analysis,
• most comprehensive application range due to widest specified retention time range,
• time and cost savings: no need of repeat analysis thanks to highest batch-to-batch consistency
• versatility – UniSolv® can be used for GC-ECD, GC-FID and GC-MS.

Numerous dioxin scandals in recent years show the importance of testing food for dioxins. Ten thousands of samples are tested worldwide every year; more than a half of them environmental samples. Humans are primarily exposed to dioxins by eating contaminated food, mainly fish, meat, and dairy products. Dioxins can cause a variety of problems in humans including a severe form of acne, so-called chloracne, increased tumor risk, and damage to the liver, the nervous system and the immune system. Because dioxins accumulate over time in the fat tissue of animals and humans, even small exposures may eventually reach dangerous levels. That's why testing food for dioxins is so important – a fact that is confirmed by many dioxin contamination incidents.

Most dioxin testing is done by gas chromatography combined with mass-spectrometric detection (GC-MS) according to several regulatory standards such as EPA method 3545A (for solid samples), DIN 38414-24 (soil and sediments), VDI 3499/1 (filter dust, boiler ash etc.), or VDI 3498/1 (indoor air). Dichloromethane, n-Hexane or toluene are used as solvents for sample preparation. All three of these solvents are available from Merck in high-purity UniSolv® grade offering considerable advantages over alternative solvents.

UniSolv® is the unique solution for all applications. No matter which gas chromatography method you use (GC-ECD, GC-FID or GC-MS) and regardless of which sample you would like to analyze: With UniSolv® you only need to use a single quality. UniSolv® offers a clear baseline and a minimal signal-to-noise ratio within a specified retention time range for all detection methods. That's why Merck recommends UniSolv® for applications that require the highest level of analytical reliability. With UniSolv® you can be sure to achieve accurate and reliable analytical results every time.

UniSolv® offers the largest specified retention time range compared to other GC solvents on the market. Furthermore the permissible concentration of interference signals within the retention time range is the lowest. As a result, you can use UniSolv® within the most comprehensive application area; even low-boiling substances can be reliably detected.

GC Solvents for the Determination of Dioxins