Characterization of benzo(a)pyrene metabolites by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with a...

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous pollutants that may become highly carcinogenic during their metabolism by organisms. Benzo(a)pyrene is an example of such a compound. Benzo(a)pyrene metabolite standards, which are labile, polar compounds, have been used to evaluate high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry as an analytical technique for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites. The chromatography used microbore (1 mm i.d.) C18 columns with acetonitrile/water as the elution solvent which became the reagent/moderator gas. A direct liquid introduction interface was used and characteristic spectra were obtained in the negative chemical ionization mode. Molecular or pseudomolecular ions were obtained for five phenols (m/z 268 and m/z 267) and three trans-dihydrodiols (m/z 286, m/z 285, m/z 284). Useful spectra were also obtained for a tetrahydrotriol, four tetrahydrotetrols and three conjugated metabolites. Fragmentation usually involved loss of water and anions at m/z 284 and m/z 268 were common to most of the spectra. Variations in the source/desolvation chamber temperature between 175 degrees C and 275 degrees C caused significant alterations in the relative abundance of molecular and fragment ions. Dissociative electron capture was the dominant ionization process.