Interlaboratory studies of the determination of selected chlorobiphenyl congeners with capillary gas chromatography using splitless‐ and on‐column injection techniques

Abstract

Abstract The Community Bureau of Reference has organized a collaborative interlaboratory project to improve the analytical protocol for some specific chlorobiphenyls (CBs) within the European Community (EC). A series of test procedures were prescribed to optimize the gas chromatographic conditions for splitless and on‐column injection, which substantially improved the quality of data. Important parameters included the initial column and injector temperatures and the choice of the polarity of the stationary phase. In a study with cleaned eel‐fat extracts, coefficients of variation for reproducibility CV(R) ranging from 11 to 24% at the 0.04–0.3 mg/kg level per CB congener were obtained. No significant difference could be found between splitless‐ and on‐column injection.