Two dimensional gas chromatographic analysis of alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

多环芳烃(PAHs)广泛存在于自然界中，具有丰富的结构多样性；由两个或两个以上的芳环组成，具有不同的来源；生物成因、成岩或热解。大量研究证实了它们的致癌、毒性、致突变性和在环境中的持久性。烷基多环芳烃(APAHs)是已知的在不同位置被甲基、乙基或其他烷基取代的多环芳烃，据报道毒性更大，并且在高于母体多环芳烃的浓度时可用。目前测量环境样品中这些化合物的方法依赖于一维气相色谱。然而，由于APAHs本身的复杂性，这种方法无法有效地拆分理论上可能存在的大量异构体。四十年来，Maxxam Analytics一直是工业、政府和学术界污染物分析和新方法开发的领先者。作为碳氢化合物分析领域的领导者，Maxxam开发了先进的方法来支持石油行业的监测倡议、多环芳烃目标扩展套件的碳氢化合物分析和法医‘指纹’研究。Maxxam已经确认迫切需要开发一种更准确的方法来量化APAHs，因为这将有助于有意义的来源分配指标，这一直是油砂监测计划的主要重点。在这里，我们建议与Maxxam Analytics密切合作，开发一种更准确、更可靠的基于二维气相色谱的定量方法。

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in nature with vast structural diversity; consisting of two or more aromatic rings in their structures, having different source materials; biogenic, petrogenic or pyrogenic. Numerous studies have confirmed their carcinogenicity, toxicity, mutagenicity and persistence in the environment. Alkyl-PAHs (APAHs) which are known PAHs substituted with a methyl, ethyl or other alkyl group at different positions have been reported to be more toxic and available at concentrations higher than their parent PAHs. The current approach to measuring these compounds in environmental samples rely on one-dimensional gas chromatography. However, because of the inherent complexity of APAHs, this approach is unable to effectively resolve the large number of isomers that are theoretically possible. Maxxam Analytics has been leading contaminants analysis and novel method development for industry, governments and academia for four decades. As leaders in hydrocarbon analyses, Maxxam has developed advanced methods to support petroleum sector monitoring initiatives, hydrocarbon analysis for expanded suites of PAH targets and forensic 'fingerprinting' studies. Maxxam has identified an urgent need to develop a more accurate approach for quantitation of APAHs as this will aide in meaningful source apportionment indicators that has been a primary focus of the oil sands monitoring programs. Here we propose closely with Maxxam Analytics to develop a more accurate and a reliable quantitation methodology that is based on two dimensional gas chromatography.