A review of the application of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography MS-based techniques for the analysis of persistent organic pollutants and ultra-trace level of organic pollutants in environmental samples

Abstract Analysis of complex samples in environmental matrices poses extreme challenge for analytical chemists as the number of known and unknown compounds are numerous and have varying physical and chemical properties. The introduction, over the past decade, of comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography (GC × GC) paired with mass spectrometry (MS) has tremendously changed the analytical profiles of ultra-trace levels of organic pollutants from different environmental media. This review article provides a summary of selected articles using comprehensive 2D GC/MS-based methodologies from January 2014 to August 2019. The applications of various MS detectors, such as single (Q) and triple (QqQ) quadrupole, low resolution and high resolution time-of-flight (TOF), and the hybrid (quadrupole TOF-MS), coupled to GC × GC, and their benefits for analyzing persistent and emerging organic pollutants when applied to different environmental matrices were discussed. Emphasis was given to reviewing some applications of GC × GC-electron capture detector (ECD) and GC × GC-μECD within the specified period as these detectors have improved selectivity and sensitivity toward halogenated (bromine and chloride) compounds found in ultra-trace levels of environmental media.