Detection or trace levels of polyethylene glycol ether surfactants in biological tissues |
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Authors: | D. Fung S. Safe Dr. J.F.S. Crocker |
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Affiliation: | 1. Guelph‐Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry , University of Guelph , Guelph, Ontario, NIG2WI, Canada;2. Izaak Walton Killam Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics , Dalhousie University , Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J3G9, Canada |
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Abstract: | This paper reports the development and application of an analytical method in which both polyethylene glycol ethers or polyethylene glycols are converted into ethylene dibromide via treatment with concentrated hydrobromic acid/glacial acetic acid (1:1) at 150°C for 3 hours. This method can detect <1 ppm of the surfactant in biological tissues, however, the practical utility of the technique is dependent on the solvent and reagent purities and the various cleanup methods which include base hydrolysis, high pressure liquid chromatography and Florisil or acidified Florisil column chromatography. |
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