Comparison and optimization of several pretreatment techniques for determination of decabrominated diphenyl ether in polymer samples by gas chromatography mass spectrometry.

A sensitive quantification of decabrominated diphenyl ether (deca-BDE) was achieved by optimizing the injection temperature, pressure and column system with gas chromatography mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode. A simple one-step cleanup method with acid silica gel column chromatography showed the optimum efficiency and minimum matrix interference. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction with toluene provided the best performance (111%, 1 h) as compared to Soxhlet extraction (110%, 5 h) and microwave-assisted extraction (63%, 15 min) taking consideration of extraction efficiency and consumed time. The proposed method could meet the requirement for determination of deca-BDE in polymers and has the potential to monitor the content of deca-BDE in electrical and electronic equipment for routine analysis.