Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time of flight mass spectrometry: new biomarker parameter proposition for the characterization of biodegraded oil

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time of flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) is an appropriate technique for the elucidation of molecular composition of petrochemical samples, such as biodegraded oils. Biomarkers were separated and identified, and conventional biomarker ratios were determined via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and GC×GC-TOFMS. In the extracted ion chromatogram m/z 123 + 177 + 191, coelutions between tricyclic terpanes, hopanes and 25-nor-hopanes with secohopanes were resolved by GC×GC-TOFMS. GC×GC-TOFMS allowed the identification of complete series of 25-nor-hopanes, nor-gammacerane, C29 28-nor-spergulanes and oleanane not identified by using GC-MS. The biomarker ratios from the studied oils indicated that they derived from marine source rock deposited under anoxic conditions. The higher chromatographic resolution and sensitivity achieved by using GC×GC-TOFMS allowed for three new parameters to characterize biodegraded oils. These results indicated the superiority of GC×GC-TOFMS for separation and identification of individual and non-target compounds in severely biodegraded oils.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Soares,Renata F., Pereira,Ricardo, Silva,Raphael S. F., Mogollon,Leonardo, Azevedo,Débora A.
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Sociedade Brasileira de Química 2013
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-50532013001000004
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