Kjell Lundgren

Levels of PCBs in the aquatic environment of the Gulf of Bothnia : Benthic species and sediments

Levels of PCBs in the aquatic environment of the Gulf of Bothnia: Benthic species and sediments

Development of a high-performance liquid chromatography carbon column based method for the fractionation of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls

A method to separate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed. The HPLC column was packed with Amoco PX-21 activated carbon dispersed on octadecylsilane (ODS). The separation was carried out by gradient elution with n-hexane-dichloromethane and toluene in the forward direction followed by reversed elution with toluene. The results show that this HPLC method is useful for the separation of PCBs according to the number of substituted ortho chlorine atoms attached to the biphenyl structure. Average recoveries for a number of individual di-ortho PCBs, mono-ortho PCBs, and non-ortho PCBs in three selected elution windows were 97, 92, and 96%, respectively. Clophen A50, a herring sample, and a cod liver oil sample were fractionated on the column and the analytical results are compared with data from the literature. The method presented here is useful for quantitative separations of mono-ortho PCBs as well as non-ortho PCBs which have been assigned toxic equivalency factors by the World Health Organisation.

Ultraviolet absorption characteristics of all tetra-to octachlorinated dibenzofurans

Abstract The UV spectra of all the 87 tetra- to octachlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) have been examined. The UV spectra reveal similarities and differences between homologue groups and substitution patterns. Two characteristic absorption maxima are seen in the range of 270 – 350 nm. The first maximum is located in the 290 – 305 nm region and the second maximum in the 315 – 335 nm region. The molar extinction coefficients of the main band vary between 10 and 43 mM−1 cm−1. Bathochromic shifts of both bands were observed with increasing number of chlorine atoms attached to the dibenzofuran ring systems. The 2,3,7,8-substitution pattern exhibits a characteristic maximum at 305 – 309 nm. The UV-spectral properties are useful for identification of individual congeners in the structural analysis of the PCDFs. The data may also aid in the use as physicochemical parameters in modelling of structure-activity relationships.

Identifying training sets of PCDDs and PCDFs for use in chemical and biological monitoring

Abstract The structural and physico-chemical variation among the PCDDs and PCDFs were studied with a multitude of descriptor variables using principal component analysis. The principal properties obtained in these analysis were used as design variables in a 24-factorial design resulting in sets of representative structures. These well balanced training sets of congeners are proposed for use in further chemical and biological monitoring or to be used as structure indicator compounds in complex mixtures.

Detection of alkylated polychlorodibenzofurans and alkylated polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins by tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of crustacean samples

Detection of alkylated polychlorodibenzofurans and alkylated polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins by tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of crustacean samples