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Plasticizers as contaminants in commercial ethanol.
D B Goldstein1, G J Feistner, K F Faull
1Department of Pharmacology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California.
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|December 1, 1987
Summary
Contaminated 95% ethanol disrupted biomembranes due to industrial plasticizers. These adulterants, including dioctylphthalate, were identified using advanced mass spectrometry techniques, and distillation removed these membrane-disrupting properties.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Toxicology
Background:
- Ethanol is widely used in biological research and as a solvent.
- Disruptions in biomembrane structure can significantly alter cellular function.
- Previous studies have not extensively documented ethanol contamination impacting biomembranes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cause of unusual biomembrane disordering observed with a specific batch of 95% ethanol.
- To identify the chemical contaminants responsible for the observed effects.
- To determine if purification methods could restore normal biomembrane properties.
Main Methods:
- Fluorescence anisotropy in synaptosomal membranes.
- Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in erythrocyte membranes.
- Capillary gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for contaminant identification.
Main Results:
- A batch of 95% ethanol exhibited strong biomembrane disordering effects.
- Contaminants, identified as industrial plasticizers (dioctylphthalate, triethylene glycol esters, aryl phosphates), were detected.
- Visible fluorescence was observed in contaminated ethanol upon evaporation.
- Distillation of the ethanol eliminated its membrane-disordering properties.
Conclusions:
- Industrial plasticizers present as contaminants in ethanol can significantly disrupt biomembrane structure and function.
- Advanced analytical techniques are crucial for identifying low-level contaminants in chemical reagents.
- Purification via distillation can effectively remove membrane-disrupting adulterants from ethanol.