Selective determination of organofluorine compounds by capillary column gas chromatography with an atmospheric pressure helium microwave‐induced plasma detector

Abstract

Abstract Fluorinated analogs of compounds typical of those found in metabolic and other biological studies are detected with high selectivity using a gas chromatograph/microwave‐induced plasma detector (GC‐MIPD), which permits fluorine‐selective detection by monitoring the emission at 685.6 nm. Using the described atmospheric pressure helium‐sustained plasma detector, the minimum detectable level, fluorine selectivity (relative to carbon), and linear dynamic range of this GC‐MIPD system were determined to be 4.8 pg‐F/s, 1060, and 5000, respectively. The utility of this GC‐MIPD system for the selective detection of organofluorine compounds is demonstrated by its application in the analysis of the metabolic fate of a fluorinated substrate administered to a mixture of wheat germ phosphatase and potato apyrase, as well as by analysis of synthetic mixtures.