A method for the determination of octa- and nonachloro-2-phenoxyphenols in chicken tissue

A gas-liquid chromatographic method was developed capable of determining octa- and nonachloro-2-phenoxyphenols in chicken liver or muscle at 0.25 ppb and fat at 2.5 ppb. The method involves extraction with acidified acetone:hexane, cleanup with concentrated H2SO4 and Florisil column chromatography, methylation with diazomethane, and quantitation by capillary column gas-liquid chromatography with electron capture detection. Fortification of liver and muscle at 0.25 or 0.5 ppb and fat at 2.5 or 5.0 ppb and subsequent analysis yielded recoveries averaging 91% for octa- and 97% for nonachlorophenoxyphenol.