Gulan, MP; Bills, DD; Putnam, TB
PESTAB An ultraviolet (uv) irradiation method for the identification of certain chlorinated insecticides (CIs) was applied to the analysis of polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs). The method involved trapping the component as it eluted from the gas chromatograph (GC), exposing it to laboratory uv light, and rechromatographing the resulting products. Separation of Halowax 1014 (a PCN) solution yielded 13 major peaks, the retention times of some of which corresponded to those of heptachlor, aldrin, heptachlor epoxide, o,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDE, dieldrin, o,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDD (TDE), and Aroclor 1254. Using the optimum irradiation times for each of the PCN components, each 1014 peak gave a characteristic fingerprint degradation pattern. In general, the less chlorinated compounds required a longer time to degrade than the more highly chlorinated compounds. The interfering insecticides could be easily distinguished from the Halowax peaks since each insecticide gave a degradation product that was largely resolved from the PCB degradation products and vice versa.