Title: Carbene-based Difluoromethylation of Bisphenols: Application to the Instantaneous Tagging of Bisphenol A in Spiked Soil for Its Detection and Identification by Electron Ionization Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

The rapid and efficient difluoromethylation of a panel of eleven bisphenols (BPs) for their enhanced detection and identification by Electron-Ionization Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (EI-GC-MS) is presented. The derivatization employs the inexpensive, environmentally benign agent diethyl (bromodifluoromethyl) phosphonate (DBDFP) as a difluorocarbene-generating species that converts the BPs into bis-difluoromethylated ethers that can be detected and identified by GC-MS means. Key attributes of the protocol include its extreme rapidity (30 seconds) at ambient temperature, high specificity for BPs amidst other alcohol-containing analytes, and its biphasic nature that allows for its convenient adaptation to the analysis of BPs in organic as well as aqueous matrices. The protocol furnishes stable, novel BP ethers armed with a total of four fluorine atoms for their subsequent analysis by EI-GC-MS. Furthermore, each derivatized bisphenol exhibits unique retention times vastly different from their native counterparts leading to their unequivocal identification. The effectiveness and robustness of the developed methodology was applied to the tagging of the most famous member of this family of compounds, bisphenol-A (BPA), when spiked (at 1 μg.g^–1 concentration) in the physically and compositionally complex Nebraska EPA standard soil. The method detection limit (MDL) for the bis-difluoromethylated BPA was determined to be 0.01 μg.mL^–1. The bis-difluoromethylatedmore » BPA was conveniently detected on the organic layers from the biphasic, derivatized mixtures, highlighting the protocol’s practicality and utility in the rapid, qualitative detection of this endocrine disruptor during environmental analysis.« less

Authors:

Valdez, Carlos A. ^[1]; Leif, Roald N. ^[1]; Hok, Saphon ^[1]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Publication Date:

2019-11-22

Research Org.:

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

OSTI Identifier:

1601564

Report Number(s):

LLNL-JRNL-779157
Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322; 972724

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC52-07NA27344

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Scientific Reports

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322

Publisher:

Nature Publishing Group

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; bisphenol; bisphenol A; GC-MS; difluoromethylation; endocrine disruptor