Peak separation of all seventeen 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-<i>p</i>-dioxins and dibenzofurans in a single injection using a narrow-bore extended-length DB-17ms chromatography capillary column

The chromatographic separation of tetra- to octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans was evaluated using a DB-17ms column 80 m long, with a 0.18-mm inner diameter (ID) and a 0.18-μm film thickness. This column effectively resolved two 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners, 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran, which had previously been co-eluted with other congeners on a 60-m×0.25-mm ID, 0.25-μm-film-thickness DB-17ms column. All seventeen 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners were separated effectively in a single injection using the narrow-bore extended-length DB-17ms column. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report of a column capable of achieving effective separation of all seventeen 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners.