A practical HPLC-UV method for the simultaneous screening of decabromodiphenyl ethane and its debromination products in environmental matrices.

A high-efficiency, high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) and its eight debromination products (one nona-, four octa-, two hepta-, and one hexa-brominated compounds) in soil and water samples. Key steps in the sample preparation process, such as solid-phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction, were systematically optimized to enhance extraction efficiency and purification. This resulted in the average recovery rate of soil and water increasing by 40% and 20%, respectively, compared with that before optimization, meeting the requirements for trace organic pollutant analysis. Using an Agilent Zorbax Eclipse PAH column (2.1 mm × 100 mm × 1.8 µm) with a mobile phase of water containing 5 mM ammonium acetate aqueous solution and acetonitrile, gradient elution (flow rate of 0.4-0.7 mL min-1) was employed. At a UV detection wavelength of 230 nm, baseline separation of all target compounds was achieved. The method demonstrated good linearity across a wide concentration range (R2 > 0.992). The method's limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for soil matrices ranged from 0.013-3.093 ng g-1 dry weight (dw) and 0.042-10.310 ng g-1 dw, respectively. For water matrices, the LOD and LOQ ranged from 0.250-61.860 ng L-1 and 0.833-206.200 ng L-1, respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 0.27% to 1.59%, indicating high precision. The main advantage of this method is its simplicity, providing a practical screening tool for routine environmental monitoring laboratories. It can complement high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques and is suitable for large-scale environmental surveys and preliminary risk assessments of DBDPE and its transformation products.