Simultaneous determination of 19 bromophenols by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after derivatization

Bromophenols (BPs) are a class of ubiquitous emerging halogenated pollutants. Their 19 congeners were problematically separated and detected. This work described the separation and detection of 19 BP congeners by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Investigations into the derivatization of bromophenols were carried out using two silylation reagents (N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide and N-methyl-N-(trimethylsily)trifluoroacetamide), two alkylation reagents (methyl iodide and trimethylsilyldiazomethane) and acetic anhydride prior to GC-MS analysis. Optimal chromatographic separation, selectivity, sensitivity, and linearity were achieved after BP derivatization using acetic anhydride, featuring the equipment detection limits of 0.39–1.26 pg and correlation coefficients of 0.9948–0.9999 (linear range: 0.5–250 ng mL−1) for all 19 BP congeners. Furthermore, the simultaneous determination of 19 bromophenols and 19 bromoanisoles, common environmental transformation products of BPs, is also demonstrated. The improved analytical performance on GC-MS after derivatization would benefit investigations on the environmental origins, behaviors and fates of BPs and their environmental metabolites.