ABSTRACT
The protocol adopted for the project called for analyses of eight samples, each in six replicates, by both the gas chromatography(GS)/mass spectrometry(MS) method and the conventional GC/MS technique. The samples for GS/MS/MS analysis were to be run with no cleanup, after one stage of cleanup, and after two stages of cleanup. The GC/MS method has been employed by the environmental protection agency (EPA) laboratories and contract laboratories for a number of years. The objective of the project was to establish a new method for quick 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) analysis that can be performed in the field, and yields results analogous to the conventional EPA method. The Potter's clays contain several interferents that contribute to the native TCDD peaks. Most of these interferents are removed by the two-step cleanup. However, one of the interferents is 1,2,3,4-TCDD, which can only be separated completely from 2,3,7,8-TCDD by changing the chromatographic conditions.
