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R9 Laboratory SOP 335
Polychlorinted Biphenyls (PCBs) by Gas Chromatography
Summary
This standard operating procedure (SOP) describes the procedures used for the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) as Aroclors by gas chromatography with electron capture detectors (ECD's) in extracts prepared from samples by USEPA Region 9 Laboratory (Reg. 9 Lab.) SOP #212 for aqueous samples and SOP #290 for solid samples. This SOP is based on procedures contained in EPA SW-846 Method 8082 and is applicable to groundwater, aqueous sludges, soils, and sediments.
This method describes the analysis of sample extracts contained in hexane for selected Aroclors. The sample components are separated, identified, and quantitated by injecting microliter quantities of the extracts into a pair of high resolution fused silica capillary columns with dissimilar stationary phases in a gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with ECD's. A temperature program is used in the GC to separate the organic compounds. Detection is achieved by an ECD.
Tentative identifications are obtained by analyzing standards under the same conditions used for samples and comparing resultant visual patterns. Concentrations of the identified components are determined by comparing the response of a compound to the average response of that compound in the initial calibration standards. Confirmatory information for analytes is obtained by comparing their quantitative results from each column. The results from the primary analytical column are reported unless a major interference problem exists.