Chromatography Forum

Hello
My main goal is to determine the presence (and possibly the concentration) of a series of compounds such as organochlorine pesticides, HCH, and PCB in bird feathers. I want to perform the analysis using HPLC. However, I currently have an issue with choosing the extraction method. I have a large amount of acetonitrile available, so I thought that the best choice, based on the materials I have, would be to use the QuEChERS extraction method. I would like to know if this method is suitable for determining these compounds in a complex matrix like a feather. If so, is there a cheaper alternative for the dSPE step? I am referring to sorbents such as PSA and C18. Is silica gel a suitable alternative?
Thank you very much!

Hi Emilian,
QuEChERS is in principle suitable for the extraction of PCBs. The clean-up depends on your matrix - I don't know how problematic bird feathers are. You might even be fine witout any (d)SPE. A silica gel column might be useful to remove polar matrix compounds - you'll have to try.
For the determination of PCBs, HCH and other very non-polar analytes, the method of choice is usually GC (-MS or -ECD). For HPLC you need to use normal phase (NP), with eluents like pentane or hexane. You have to check if your system is equipped for NP - plunger seals, tubing. NP can be tricky...

Hi,

In addition to the previous post, which was totally correct, here is a bit more info: feathers are similar to hair samples in terms of composition, however they are even more difficult to grind. Both are usually considered as quite dirty matrices. Regarding d-SPE, rather than switching to silica to reduce costs (which will profoundly modify the selectivity of the sample preparation method), you may consider to downscale the procedure. If you use only a few tens of mg of C18 and PSA, the price per sample remains very reasonable.

Thank you kindly for responses.

Finally, I managed to obtain PSA, C18, MgSO4, and NaCl for the QuEChERS method. I also managed to acquire an HPLC-MS and a GC-MS. I want to determine only organochlorines and PAHs. However, I am unsure about choosing the standards... I want to buy two mixes, one with organochlorines and one with PAHs. However, I cannot find an organochlorine mix in acetonitrile. Could you suggest a suitable option? Thank you.