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Article
Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen isotope fractionation trends in N-nitrosodimethylamine reflect the formation pathway during chloramination of tertiary amines Stephanie Spahr, Urs von Gunten, and Thomas B. Hofstetter Environ. Sci. Technol., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b03919 • Publication Date (Web): 16 Oct 2017 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on October 16, 2017
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Carbon, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen Isotope Fractionation Trends in N-Nitrosodimethylamine Reflect the Formation Pathway during Chloramination of Tertiary Amines Stephanie Spahr,†,‡ Urs von Gunten,†,‡, ¶ and Thomas B. Hofstetter∗,†, ¶ Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland, and Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland E-mail:
[email protected] ∗ To
whom correspondence should be addressed
† Eawag ‡ EPF ¶ ETH
Lausanne Zürich
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Abstract
1
2
Assessing the precursors and reactions leading to the carcinogenic N-nitrosodimethylamine
3
(NDMA) during drinking water disinfection is a major challenge. Here, we investigate whether
4
changes of
5
trends that can be used to infer NDMA formation pathways. We carried out compound-
6
specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of NDMA during chloramination of four tertiary amines that
7
produce NDMA at high yields, namely ranitidine, 5-(dimethylaminomethyl)furfuryl alcohol,
8
N,N-dimethylthiophene-2-methylamine and N,N-dimethylbenzylamine. Carbon and hydrogen
9
isotope ratios of NDMA function as fingerprints of the N(CH3 )2 moiety and exhibit only
10
minor isotope fractionation during the disinfection process. Nitrogen isotope ratios showed
11
that NH2 Cl is the source of the N atom of the nitroso group. The large enrichment of 15 N in
12
NDMA was indicative of the isotope effects pertinent to bond cleavage and bond formation
13
reactions during chloramination of tertiary amines. Correlation of δ15 N vs. δ13 C values of
14
NDMA resulted in trend lines that were not affected by the type of tertiary amine and treatment
15
conditions suggesting that the observed C and N isotope fractionation in NDMA may be
16
diagnostic for NDMA precursors and formation pathways during chloramination.
13 C/12 C, 2 H/1 H,
and
15 N/14 N
ratios of NDMA give rise to isotope fractionation
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17
Introduction
18
N-Nitrosamines form as drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs) and are of public and reg-
19
ulatory concern due to their mutagenicity and potential carcinogenicity. 1,2 N-nitrosodimethylamine
20
(NDMA) is a frequently detected DBP in finished drinking waters and often exceeds guidance val-
21
ues of 9-100 ng/L. 2–5 NDMA is produced unintentionally with typically used disinfectants, that is
22
chlorine, chloramine, and ozone through reactions with organic compounds in raw waters including
23
natural organic matter, 6–9 anthropogenic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides, 10–14
24
and chemicals used for water treatment (e.g., polymeric coagulants). 15,16 The different molecular
25
structures of NDMA precursors have led to the conclusion that pathways of NDMA generation
26
differ widely among the various disinfection procedures. 17,18 Nevertheless, detailed knowledge of
27
chemical reaction mechanisms remains scarce so that a systematic prediction and prevention of
28
NDMA formation during water treatment is currently hampered.
29
One promising new tool with which NDMA can be related to its precursors and formation
30
reactions is compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA). Previous studies have demonstrated that
31
changes in the natural stable isotope composition of DBPs, that is the so called stable isotope
32
fractionation, provide evidence for reactive precursor materials and DBP formation pathways. 19–21
33
CSIA was applied, for example, to monitor changes of 13 C/12 C ratios in chloroform produced upon
34
chlorination of lake water. 19 Chloroform was enriched in 12 C due to a preferential reaction of light
35
(i.e., 12 C containing) isotopologues when produced from resorcinol-like moieties of natural organic
36
matter (NOM). Conversely, chloroform was enriched in
37
of phenolic functional groups of NOM. These contrasting isotopic preferences reflect different
38
chloroform formation pathways. Each of them exhibits different kinetic isotope effects (KIEs),
39
which reflect which chemical bonds are broken and formed. 22,23 Because KIEs are specific features
40
of a reaction mechanism, the stable isotope fractionation observed in the reactants and products
41
can serve as proxy for the transformation pathway. 24–28
13 C
when generated from chlorination
42
We have recently introduced analytical procedures for 13 C/12 C, 2 H/1 H, and 15 N/14 N isotope ratio
43
measurements of N-nitrosamines. 29 However, this method has not been applied to study disinfection 3 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
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processes and it is currently unknown how C, H, and N isotope fractionation in NDMA can be
45
indicative of its formation pathway(s). Elucidation of reaction mechanisms with CSIA typically
46
focuses on the analysis of substrate disappearance, where substrate isotope fractionation reveals the
47
isotope effects of the first elementary reaction steps leading to irreversible bond cleavage(s). 24–27
48
Gaining such information from product isotope fractionation is less common and CSIA of reaction
49
products is applied mostly to study isotope effects of well-defined reactions leading to known
50
and measurable products (e.g., 30–34 ). None of the previous applications of CSIA reflect cases
51
similar to the one of NDMA, which forms in a sequence of (partially) unknown reactions. Each
52
of these reactions exhibits an isotope effect and thus contributes to the final isotopic composition
53
of NDMA. 11,35 However, the identification of reactive processes from the isotope fractionation in
54
reaction products is a common approach in (bio)geosciences. In this discipline, the elucidation
55
of events in the past is often made through isotopic analysis of frequently occurring molecules
56
and minerals in natural samples such as hydrocarbons, sulfur species, oxides, and carbonates. 36,37
57
The methodology is based on observations made in multiple isotope systems, that is from the
58
comparison of isotope fractionation from different elements in a molecule (e.g., 2 H/1 H vs.
59
of methane,
18 O/16 O
vs.
60
18 O/16 O
17 O/16 O
in O2 and 34 S/32 S vs.
61
understanding of isotope effects of individual reactions, evidence for reactive processes can then
62
be obtained from correlations of isotope fractionation, which, in most cases, result in indicative
63
isotope fractionation trendlines.
vs.
34 S/32 S
13 C/12 C
in sulfate) and different isotopes of the same elements (e.g., 33 S/32 S
in sulfates). 38–43 Regardless of a quantitative
64
The objective of this work was to evaluate whether multi-element isotope fractionation analysis
65
is applicable to track precursor moieties and formation pathways of NDMA through analysis
66
of C, H, or N isotope ratios of the DBP. This work builds on two of our recent studies on
67
the NDMA formation from the chloramination of tertiary amines 29,35 and information on the
68
reaction mechanism provided by others. 17,44–46 Based on the evidence of radical intermediates and
69
reactions of molecular oxygen in the NDMA formation pathway, 35 we hypothesized that tertiary
70
amines undergo a sequence of substitution, electron transfer, oxygenation, and radical coupling
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H H 3C
-H+
O
N
R
H 3C
O
H 3C
N
+H+
products
R
CH3
1
2
H 2N
products
Cl
Tertiary amine precursors used in this work
H N
O N
Cl –
H N
S NO 2
Ranitidine
NH 2
H 3C
R
products
H 3C
O N
O
N 3
OH
H 2N
Cl
DFUR Cl – + NH 2
H+ S N NH H 3C
DMTA
O
N
R
products
R
products
H 3C N
4
O2 DMBA O O NH H 3C
O N
H 3C 5
O
O
O
O
HN O R
N
NH CH3
H 3C
CH3
H 3C
O N
R 6
H 2O2 H 3C N N O
2
+ 2
H 2C
O R
H 3C 7
8
Scheme 1 NDMA formation pathway during chloramination of selected tertiary amines (adapted from 35 ) including the precursor compounds examined in this study (ranitidine, DFUR, DMTA, and DMBA). At pH 8.0 deprotonation of tertiary amines (1 to 2) occurs prior to nucleophilic attack on NH2 Cl. Reactive intermediates include substituted dimethylhydrazines (3), aminyl radicals (4), Nperoxyl radicals (5), and tetroxide species (6). Decomposition of 6 leads to two equivalents of NDMA (7) and carbocations (8). Based on a molar NDMA yield < 100%, precursors or intermediates 3 - 5 also undergo reactions to unidentified products.
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reactions shown in Scheme 1. Those reactions will be the source of isotope fractionation in
72
NDMA. In our previous work on stable isotope analysis, 29 we have used the chloramination of
73
reaction of ranitidine to validate our methodology and we found that NDMA formation processes
74
can be studied at low µM concentrations if NDMA yields are high. Therefore, we focused our
75
current investigation on chloramination of tertiary amines, which can give rise to yields of NDMA
76
that exceed 60%. 11,14,29,35,47 We conducted chloramination experiments with four tertiary amines,
77
namely ranitidine, 5-(dimethylaminomethyl)furfuryl alcohol (DFUR), N,N-dimethylthiophene-2-
78
methylamine (DMTA), and N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (DMBA, see Scheme 1), and investigated
79
C, H, and N isotope fractionation in NDMA during its formation from these precursors. First,
80
we inferred the sources of C, H, and N atoms in NDMA by examining the initial and site-specific
81
isotope ratios of selected precursors and by conducting experiments with isotopically distinct
82
monochloramines. Second, we investigated to which extent the C and N isotope fractionation
83
trends in two model tertiary amines and NDMA reflect NDMA formation pathways involving
84
multiple isotope-sensitive reaction steps. Finally, we assessed whether the multi-element isotope
85
fractionation trends of NDMA are characteristic for chloramination of tertiary amines and could
86
potentially be used as proxy for the NDMA formation pathway during drinking water disinfection.
87
Experimental Section
88
Chemicals
89
A list of all chemicals including suppliers and purities is provided in the Supporting Information
90
(SI).
91
NDMA formation experiments
92
Monochloramine (NH2 Cl) stock solutions (30 mM) were prepared daily as described previously 48,49
93
by mixing hypochlorite (OCl – ) with either ammonium chloride (NH4 Cl) or ammonium sulfate
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((NH4 )2 SO4 ) at pH 9.5 with a molar Cl:N ratio of 1:1.05. The ammonium salts exhibited distinctly
95
different and well defined N isotope ratios corresponding to N isotope signatures, δ15 N, of −1.4h
96
and +53.7h for NH4 Cl and (NH4 )2 SO4 , respectively. 50
97
Chloramination experiments were carried out in 14 amber glass bottles containing 1 L of either
98
10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 8.0), 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH
99
8.0), or 10 mM borate buffer (pH 8.0). Each reactor was spiked with 100 µL of a methanolic stock
100
solution to obtain initial concentrations of 3 µM ranitidine or DFUR and 40 µM DMTA or DMBA.
101
The formation of NDMA was initiated through addition of NH2 Cl in 15-fold excess corresponding
102
to initial NH2 Cl concentrations of 45 µM or 600 µM, respectively. At predefined time points,
103
one 1 L reactor was sacrificed for chemical analyses. We measured the solution pH and NH2 Cl
104
concentration, and quenched the chloramine reaction by adding 0.5 g of Na2 S2 O3 to the reactor.
105
To quantify the concentrations of NDMA, ranitidine, and DFUR, 1 mL of the solution was filled
106
into an 1.5 mL amber autosampler glass vial. For analyses of DMTA and DMBA, 40 mL of the
107
solution was transferred into 50 mL amber glass flasks and the pH of the solution was adjusted to
108
11.3 through addition of 5 M NaOH. All samples were stored in the dark at 4℃ until concentration
109
analyses and further processing for stable isotope analyses. Two control experiments were set up
110
(i) to quantify losses of the organic amine precursor in the absence of NH2 Cl and (ii) to determine
111
the self-decay rate of NH2 Cl in the absence of organic amines. Unless stated otherwise, reported
112
NH2 Cl concentrations were corrected by the self-decay of NH2 Cl. The presence of methanol had
113
no effect on the consumption of NH2Cl and the formation of NDMA as shown previously. 35
114
Chemical analyses
115
The concentration of aqueous NH2 Cl stock solutions (30 mM) was quantified as described pre-
116
viously using a Varian Cary 100 Bio UV-visible spectrophotometer. 29,48,49,51 In reaction mix-
117
tures containing tertiary amines, reactive intermediates, and NDMA, NH2 Cl was quantified with
118
a colorimetric method using 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium
119
salt (ABTS). 29,52 A detailed comparison of chloramine quantification methods can be found in the 7 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
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SI section S5 of Spahr et al. 35 . Concentrations of NDMA, ranitidine, and DFUR were determined
121
by reverse phase HPLC with UV detection (Dionex UltiMate 3000). 29,35
122
Concentrations of DMTA and DMBA were measured by solid-phase microextraction (SPME)
123
coupled to a GC/MS (Thermo TRACE GC Ultra and Thermo TRACE DSQ II). 2 mL amber
124
autosampler glass vials, which contained 0.3 g NaCl, were filled with 1.3 mL of aqueous sample
125
in 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 11.3) and shaken on a Vortex mixer. Direct immersion SPME
126
was carried out with a polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene coated fibre (PDMS/DVB, 65 µm,
127
Supelco) after conditioning the fiber daily for 30 min at 250℃. Analytes were extracted for 45 min
128
at 40℃ and desorbed within 3 min at 270℃ in the split/splitless injector of the GC. 53 The GC was
129
equipped with 1 m DPTMDS (methyl/phenyl) deactivated fused-silica guard column (0.53 mm i.d.,
130
BGB) and a 30 m × 0.25 mm ZB-5ms column (0.25 µm, Zebron, Phenomenex). Helium carrier gas
131
was used at a constant pressure of 130 kPa. The temperature program was 1 min at 50℃, 10℃/min
132
to 250℃, and 5 min at 250℃. DMTA and DMBA concentrations were quantified with an external
133
calibration of 0.1 - 1.5 µM.
134
Stable isotope analyses
135
Stable C, H, and N isotope ratios of NDMA were measured using gas chromatography isotope
136
ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS) coupled to solid-phase extraction (SPE) as reported in Spahr
137
et al. 29 C and N isotope analysis of DMTA and DMBA in aqueous samples was conducted with
138
SPME-GC/IRMS. The SPME procedure, GC setup, and temperature program was identical to
139
that for GC/MS analysis, but a 30 m × 0.32 mm ZB-5ms column (1 µm, Zebron, Phenomenex) was
140
used. For all C and N isotope measurements, a Ni/Ni/Pt reactor was operated at 1000℃. 29 Method
141
quantification limits (MQLs) of the SPME-GC/IRMS measurements of DMTA and DMBA were
142
determined according to the moving mean procedure of Jochmann et al. 54 and measurements were
143
made in concentration ranges of 0.3 - 0.6µM and 2.5 -16 µM for DMTA and DMBA, respectively
144
(Figure S1). The 15 N equilibrium isotope effect associated with the deprotonation of DMTA was
145
investigated by SPME-GC/IRMS at pH 8.4, 8.7, 9.4, 10.4, and 11.3 in 10 mM phosphate buffer at 8 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
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ionic strength of 4 M using DMTA concentrations of 66 µM, 12 µM (pH 8.7 and 9.4), 6.6 µM, and
147
5 µM, respectively. 53
148
Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen isotope ratios are reported as δ13 C, δ2 H, and δ15 N relative
149
to Vienna PeeDee Belemnite, Vienna standard mean ocean water, and air, respectively. 24,29 All
150
isotope signatures are reported in permil (h) as arithmetic mean of triplicate measurements (±σ).
151
To ensure the accuracy of the measured isotope ratios, we used a series of isotopic standard materials
152
purchased from Indiana University 55,56 as documented in Spahr et al. 29 as well as calibrated in-
153
house standards in standard bracketing procedures. In-house standards of ranitidine, DFUR,
154
DMTA, and NH4 Cl were obtained through C and N isotope ratio measurements with an elemental
155
analyzer IRMS (Table S1). Isotopic analysis of NH2 Cl was impeded owing to its thermal instability
156
and self-decay to ammonia. Instead, we used the δ15 N values of NH4 Cl or (NH4 )2 SO4 , from which
157
NH2 Cl was produced, as a proxy for the initial δ15 N values of NH2 Cl. This assumption was based
158
on high molar NH2 Cl yields (>94%) from the reaction of HOCl with NH4 Cl or (NH4 )2 SO4 .
159
Data evaluation
160
We conducted chloramination experiments with two model compounds, namely DMTA and DMBA,
161
to study isotope fractionation in the tertiary amines. Bulk isotope enrichment factors for carbon and
162
nitrogen, εC and εN , were derived from linear regression of δ13 C and δ15 N values versus fractional
163
amount of remaining precursor (c/c0 ) according to eq. 1 (see Figure S3). 25 δhE + 1 c ln h = εE · ln c0 δ E0 + 1
(1)
164
where δ h E0 and δ h E are isotope ratios of an element E in the precursor at the beginning
165
and during the reaction, respectively. Apparent kinetic isotope effects, AKIEE , were calculated
166
according to eq. 2 considering the total number of atoms of an element (n), the number of atoms
167
in reactive positions (x), and the number of atoms in intramolecular competition (z). The AKIEC
168
values are reported as average secondary isotope effect for all C atoms in DMTA (n = x = 7, z = 1)
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and DMBA (n = x = 9, z = 1). AKIEN values stand for primary isotope effects and both precursors
170
contain one N atom (n = x = z = 1). Uncertainties of εE and AKIEE values are reported as 95%
171
confidence interval.
AKIEE =
1 1 + (n/x) · z · εE
(2)
172
The observable AKIEN of DMTA or DMBA during chloramination at pH 8.0 originates from
173
the combination of a deprotonation step (eq. 3) and the subsequent reaction of the neutral tertiary
174
amine (eq. 4). As we have shown previously, 53,57 the observable AKIEN therefore consists of a
175
combination of a 15 N-equilibrium isotope effect for the quarternary amine deprotionation, EIEBH N
176
and an apparent kinetic isotope effect of the subsequent reaction, AKIEBN (eq. 5).
+ −B
k1 BG B + H+ BH+ FGGGGGG GGGGG k −1 k2 B GGGGGGA P BH AKIEN = fBH+ · EIEN
+ −B
(3) (4) · AKIEBN + (1 − fBH+ ) · AKIEBN
(5)
177
where k 1 and k−1 are rate constants of H+ exchange reaction, k 2 is the rate constant for transformation
178
of the neutral amine, and fBH+ is the fraction of the conjugate acid of the tertiary amine (see section
179
S4 for details).
180
Results and Discussion
181
Observable C, H, and N isotope fractionation trends in NDMA
182
We used 5-(dimethylaminomethyl)furfuryl alcohol (DFUR) as model compound for the chlorami-
183
nation of tertiary amines and studied the NDMA formation kinetics as well as C, H, and N isotope 10 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
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ratios of NDMA. Figure 1a shows the formation of NDMA during the reaction of DFUR (3 µM)
185
with NH2 Cl (45 µM) in 10 mM phosphate buffer at pH 8.0. The reaction was completed within 10 h
186
with a molar NDMA yield of 65 ± 2%. 35,47,58 Consistent with our earlier observations, we found
187
a lag-phase of approximately one hour, in which only 0.2 µM DFUR was transformed to 0.1 µM
188
NDMA (dashed line in Figure 1a). 35 After 1 h, DFUR disappeared at a faster rate concomitant
189
with the formation of NDMA. This kinetic behavior implies that reactive intermediates such as the
190
N,N-dimethylhydrazine species (compound 3 in Scheme 1) and possible radical intermediates (4
191
and 5) are short-lived and transformed to NDMA and other unidentified products more rapidly than
192
the initial transformation of DFUR to compound 3. The total consumption of NH2 Cl amounted to
193
12.0 µM and thus exceeded the initial concentration of DFUR by a factor of 4.1 in agreement with
194
previous findings. 35 No lag-phase was observed for the disappearance of NH2 Cl (Figure 1a) indicat-
195
ing that side reactions, which did not lead to NDMA, likely contributed to the over-stoichiometric
196
consumption of NH2 Cl.
197
Figure 1b shows C, H, and N isotope signatures of NDMA during its formation. δ15 N values
198
of NDMA (depicted as upward triangles) increased within 10 h from –24.8h to −8.7h. This N
199
isotope fractionation is caused by primary kinetic isotope effects that occur when chemical bonds
200
to N are broken or formed in rate-determining reaction steps. 25,59 In contrast, δ13 C and δ2 H values
201
of NDMA changed only slightly from –36.8h to –34.3h and –133.5h to –110.7h, respectively.
202
This C and H isotope fractionation is small compared to reactions, in which bonds to C and H are
203
broken (e.g., 60,61 ) and likely due to secondary kinetic isotope effects of atoms that do not participate
204
in chemical reactions.
205
Isotope ratios of NDMA reveal the origin of C, H, and N atoms in NDMA
206
Origin and isotopic composition of the N,N-dimethylamine moiety of NDMA
207
We have shown previously that the N,N-dimethylamine group (N(CH3 )2 ) of the tertiary amine is
208
transferred to NDMA without being chemically altered. 29 This observation was key to elucidate the
209
mechanisms of N atom oxygenation and formation of radical intermediates in the NDMA formation 11 ACS Paragon Plus Environment
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(a)
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35 t = 1h
Concentration (µM)
40
3 2
DFUR ( NDMA NH 2 Cl (
1
control) control)
0 0
5
10 15 Time (h)
25
b15N0(NH2Cl-B) 40
20
+27.6‰
b15N0(average of DFUR and NH2Cl-B)
0 b15N0(DFUR)
+26.9‰
b13C (‰)
b15N (‰)
(b)
20
b15N0(NH2Cl-A) b13C0(DFUR)
-20
b2H (‰)
-40 -100 -120 -140 0
5
10 15 Time (h)
20
25
Figure 1 NDMA formation from the reaction of DFUR (3 µM) with NH2 Cl (45 µM) in 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 8.0). Panel (a) shows DFUR abatement, NH2 Cl consumption, and NDMA formation over time. Symbols in panel (b) illustrate δ15 N, δ13 C, and δ2 H values of NDMA. Grey and yellow solid lines represent the initial δ13 C and δ15 N value of DFUR, respectively. The red and blue lines depict the initial δ15 N values of two different NH2 Cl batches with which separate NDMA formation experiments were conducted leading to NDMA with different δ15 N signatures (red-yellow vs. blueyellow triangles). The blue-yellow line represents the average of the initial δ15 N values of DFUR and NH2 Cl-B. Standard deviations of triplicate δ15 N, δ13 C, and δ2 H measurements were