Mass fragmentgraphic determination of diisopropyl napthalene and phenyl xylylethane, and the environmental contamination from them.

The water or sea contamination of diisopropyl naphthalene and phenyl xylylethane in hydrocarbons, which have appeared as alternatives for polychlorobiphenyls, was examined in some areas of Japan. A mass fragmentgraphic technique was applied for rapid determination of trace amounts. In sea mud, 0.019 to 0.16 ppm of diisopropyl naphthalene was found, and a few ppm in fish, but no phenyl xylylethane was detected in any samples. The necessity for continuous survey for contamination by new chemicals and the availability of the mass fragmentgraphic method for difficult microdetermination by gas chromatography, using an electron capture detector, are emphasized.