9. Analysis of Soluble Organic Polar Fractions from Sea Salt by GC–MS

In order to investigate the organic compounds from sea salt, soluble organic polar fractions as a result of chloroform extraction followed by being esterified with BF₃ in methanol were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). There were greater than 20 soluble organic polar fractions presented in sea salt, and the major components were C₁₅–C₂₈ fatty acid compounds series, plasticizers and sulfur. The total amount of fatty acids accounted for more than 50%, and C₁₆ was the main peak. The relative abundance of n-hexadecanoic acid was the highest (41.19%) among the soluble organic polar fractions from the analyzed sample. At the same time, a certain amount of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) such as dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phathalate (DEHP) and sulfur (S6, S7 and S8) were detected, and the contents of the two component types were relatively close. Among the three PAEs, the relative abundance of DIBP (17.678%) was the highest. Further, their effects on marine organisms and ecosystem should be concerned based on the potential risks of PAEs.