The Analysis of Ultrashort-Chain through Long-Chain and Alternative Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalky Substances (PFAS) by LC-MS/MS in Cranberry Juice

Description:
Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are a large group of man-made chemicals widely used in industrial applications and consumer products such as firefighting foams, coating additives, textiles, and cleaning products. Following a long history of usage and resistance to degradation, PFCs have become persistent and ubiquitous environmental pollutants which can oftentimes be found in environmental and agricultural samples. Traditionally, PFAS compounds have been analyzed on traditional reversed-phase columns, but PFCs of emerging interest, ultrashort-chain compounds, are not sufficiently retained on such columns. To overcome this limitation, a hybrid HILIC/ion-exchange column has been utilized to produce a fast and straightforward approach to the analysis of a comprehensive panel of C2, C3, C4, C6, C8, and alternative PFAS compounds in cranberry juice by LC-MS/MS. Due to the multimode retention mechanisms of the Polar X stationary phase, both ultrashort- and long-chain PFAS compounds can be analyzed in the same analysis. The method was evaluated in cranberry juice to demonstrate the applicability in matrix and demonstrates a straightforward, high throughput workflow for the simultaneous analysis of ultrashort-chain, alternative, and legacy PFAS.