Resumen de Determination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in River and Bay Sediments:: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment in Environmental Chemistry Using Capillary Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detection
Susan E. Kegley, Kristen J. Hansen, Kevin Cunningham
With the arrival of the capillary gas chromatograph into undergraduate chemistry laboratories, it is now possible for students to perform ppb-level analysis of environmental samples containing organochlorine compounds such as PCBs. This paper briefly discusses the history of PCB use and provides guidelines for finding and evaluating PCB-contaminated sites as a way to interest students by showing them an application of chemistry to the "real world." A procedure for the extraction of PCBs from sediments in a 4-hour laboratory period is presented, as well as the instrumental parameters required to analyze the samples by gas chromatography using an electron capture detector. This laboratory experiment was tested on freshman chemistry and environmental science students, but would also be appropriate for an organic or upper-level analytical chemistry course.
