FINGERPRINTING MARINE POLLUTANT HYDROCARBONS BY COMPUTERIZED GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY

A series of petroleum hydrocarbons of geochemical significance (biological markers) such as C20 -C40 acyclic isoprenoids and C27- steranes and triterpanes are proposed as passive tags for the characterization of oils in the marine environment. Mass-fragmentography of samples is used to make evident these series of components without complex enrichment treatments. The rational choice of the characteristic ions is discussed and both molecular and stereoisomeric profiles are considered for identification purposes. Furthermore, computerized gas chromatography- mass spectrometry permits multiple fingerprinting from the same GC run. Hence rapid and effective comparisons between samples and long term storage of the results for future examination can be carried out. Differences between oils from the same geographic area and correlations of highly weathered samples are exemplified. © 1979, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.