Gas phase infrared spectra of 209 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners using gas chromatography with Fourier transform infrared detection: internal standardization with a 13C-labelled congener.

The gas phase infrared spectra of biphenyl and 209 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) are observed; 30 are presented in graphical form so that their uniqueness can be appreciated. The spectra were observed with a gas chromatograph linked via a light pipe with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Unequivocal library matches (with match factors > 990 in 1000) can be performed with 50 ng of a congener injected into the chromatograph. Quantitation with the technique was briefly investigated with 2,2',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (BZ no. 52). Selective wavelength chromatograms of the most intense absorption (1457cm-1) were integrated. Septuplicate injections showed that 20 ng of the compound could be determined with +/- 4% precision. The resolution of the spectrometer was sufficient to distinguish between the 13C-labelled trichlorobiphenyl and the unlabelled material, indicating the possibility of internal or surrogate standardization of PCB analysis.