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Detection Methods
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Volatile organic compounds identification and specific stable isotopic analysis (δ13C) in microplastics by purge and trap gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and combustion isotope ratio mass spectrometry (PT-GC-MS-C-IRMS)
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry2023
6 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 40
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0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Corentin Le Juge,
Corentin Le Juge,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Ian Allan,
Corentin Le Juge,
Corentin Le Juge,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Corentin Le Juge,
David Point,
Corentin Le Juge,
Ian Allan,
Ian Allan,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Christelle Lagane,
Ian Allan,
Julien Gigault,
Corentin Le Juge,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Ian Allan,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Ian Allan,
Ian Allan,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Christelle Lagane,
Julien Gigault,
Corentin Le Juge,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Ian Allan,
Ian Allan,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Ian Allan,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Ian Allan,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Bruno Grassl,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Julien Gigault,
Ian Allan,
Ian Allan,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Julien Gigault,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Ian Allan,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Bruno Grassl,
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Stéphanie Reynaud
Summary
Researchers developed an analytical method combining purge-and-trap gas chromatography with stable carbon isotope ratio mass spectrometry to identify volatile organic compounds in microplastics and trace their source origins. The technique enables both chemical characterization and isotopic fingerprinting of microplastics in complex environmental samples.
Microplastics (MPs) have become one of the major global environmental issues in recent decades due to their ubiquity in the environment. Understanding MPs source origin and reactivity is urgently needed to better constrain their fate and budget. Despite improvements in analytical methods to characterize MPs, new tools are needed to help understand their sources and reactivity in a complex environment. In this work, we developed and applied an original Purge-&-Trap system coupled to a GC-MS-C-IRMS to explore the δC compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) of volatile organic compounds (VOC) embedded in MPs. The method consists of heating and purging MP samples, with VOCs being cryo-trapped on a Tenax sorbent, followed by GC-MS-C-IRMS analysis. The method was developed using a polystyrene plastic material showing that sample mass and heating temperature increased the sensitivity while not influencing VOC δC values. This robust, precise, and accurate methodology allows VOC identification and δC CSIA in plastic materials in the low nanogram concentration range. Results show that the monomer styrene displays a different δC value (- 22.2 ± 0.2‰), compared to the δC value of the bulk polymer sample (- 27.8 ± 0.2‰). This difference could be related to the synthesis procedure and/or diffusion processes. The analysis of complementary plastic materials such as polyethylene terephthalate, and polylactic acid displayed unique VOC δC patterns, with toluene showing specific δC values for polystyrene (- 25.9 ± 0.1‰), polyethylene terephthalate (- 28.4 ± 0.5‰), and polylactic acid (- 38.7 ± 0.5‰). These results illustrate the potential of VOC δC CSIA in MP research to fingerprint plastic materials, and to improve our understanding of their source cycle. Further studies in the laboratory are needed to determine the main mechanisms responsible for MPs VOC stable isotopic fractionation.