Determination of substituted diphenylamines in environmental samples

Owing to their stability at high temperature, low biodegradation, low water solubility, and low vapor pressure, substituted diphenylamines are used as antioxidants in rubber, foamed polymers, and as high-temperature functional fluids (e.g., lubricants, gear oils, and hydraulic fluids). There are few existing environmental measurements of these substances in any environmental medium. In this study, a method was developed for the determination of 10 substituted diphenylamines in wastewater, biosolids, and sediments using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The substituted diphenylamines that were measured were two styrenated diphenylamines isomers, three di-styrenated diphenylamine isomers, tert-butyl-diphenylamine, tert-octyl-diphenylamine, di-tert-butyl-diphenylamine, tert-butyl/tert-octyl-diphenylamine, and di-tert-octyl-diphenylamine. The instrument limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) were 0.02-0.1 and 0.06-0.3 ng mL^-1, respectively. Target compounds were spiked into sediment, effluent water, influent water, and biosolids at the 100- and 1000-ng levels (N = 6). Analyte recoveries ranged from 71.5 to 117 % with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.12-12.4 %. The method was applied to the analysis of influent, effluent, and biosolid samples; the sum of substituted diphenylamines were 48.1-713, 1.04-28.5 ngL^-1, and 85.3-1184 ngg^-1dw (median: 71.0, 7.30 ngL^-1, and 402 ngg^-1dw), respectively. Nine sediment samples collected in Ontario, Canada contained concentrations of the sum of substituted diphenylamines ranging from 1.55 to 897 ngg^-1dw.