Cellulose bearing covalently linked copper phthalocyanine trisulphonate as an adsorbent selective for polycyclic compounds and its use in studies of environmental mutagens and carcinogens.

A method useful as a preconcentration technique for isolating mutagens and carcinogens is described. Cotton bearing covalently linked copper phthalocyanine trisulphonate as ligand (blue cotton) can adsorb selectively compounds having three or more fused rings. The adsorption takes place in aqueous media, involving 1:1 complex formation between the ligand and the polycyclic compound. The desorption can be done by elution with organic solvents, most effectively with methanol containing ammonia. As many important environmental mutagens and carcinogens are polycyclics, this adsorption is useful as a means of extracting this class of materials from crude samples such as food, urine and river waters. The use of copper phthalocyanine as a ligand for chromatographic supports has recently been initiated, yielding promising results for the effective separation of polycyclic aromatic compounds from each other.