--- title: "6PPD-Quinone in Salmon Tissue: A QuEChERS SPE Method for Tire-Derived Contaminants" description: Discover a novel QuEChERS SPE method for detecting 6PPD-Quinone in salmon tissue, addressing environmental threats to coho salmon populations. image: https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/hubfs/Canva%20images/600%20x%20308%20CD%20Blog%20UCT%20-%20Emerging%20Contaminants.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/quinone-in-salmon-tissue-a-quechers-spe-method#main-content) [![cd-logo-header](https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/cd-logo-header.png?width=180&height=68&name=cd-logo-header.png)](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/) - [Products](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/vials-and-caps) Show submenu for Products - [Vials & Caps](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/vials-and-caps) - [Sample Preparation](https://info.chromatographydirect.com/uct-sample-preparation-products-chromatography-direct) - [Filtration Products](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/filtration-products) - [LC Columns & Accessories](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/lc-columns-and-accessories) - [Instrument Spares](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/instrument-spares) - [Plates & Mats](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/plates-and-mats) - [Flash Chromatography](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/flash-chromatography) - [Solvent Safety](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/solvent-safety) - [GC Columns & Accessories](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/gc-columns-and-accessories) - [Dissolution](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/dissolution) - [Clinical Kits, Standards and Controls](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/clinical-kits-standards-and-controls) - [New Products](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/new-products) - [Knowledge Base](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/knowledge-base) - [About Us](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/about-us) - [Offers](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/offers) - [Blog](https://blog.chromatographydirect.com) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Products](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/vials-and-caps) Show submenu for Products - [Vials & Caps](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/vials-and-caps) - [Sample Preparation](https://info.chromatographydirect.com/uct-sample-preparation-products-chromatography-direct) - [Filtration Products](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/filtration-products) - [LC Columns & Accessories](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/lc-columns-and-accessories) - [Instrument Spares](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/instrument-spares) - [Plates & Mats](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/plates-and-mats) - [Flash Chromatography](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/flash-chromatography) - [Solvent Safety](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/solvent-safety) - [GC Columns & Accessories](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/gc-columns-and-accessories) - [Dissolution](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/dissolution) - [Clinical Kits, Standards and Controls](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/products/clinical-kits-standards-and-controls) - [New Products](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/new-products) - [Knowledge Base](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/knowledge-base) - [About Us](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/about-us) - [Offers](https://www.chromatographydirect.com/offers) - [Blog](https://blog.chromatographydirect.com) - [Contact us](https://info.chromatographydirect.com/contact-chromatography-direct) [Contact us](https://info.chromatographydirect.com/contact-chromatography-direct) --- Aug 24, 2026, 9:30:04 AM # 6PPD-Quinone in Salmon Tissue: A QuEChERS SPE Method for Tire-Derived Contaminants [Chromatography Direct](https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/author/chromatography-direct) Share: [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/quinone-in-salmon-tissue-a-quechers-spe-method) [linkedin-in icon](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/quinone-in-salmon-tissue-a-quechers-spe-method) [twitter icon](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/quinone-in-salmon-tissue-a-quechers-spe-method) [envelope icon](mailto:?body=https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/quinone-in-salmon-tissue-a-quechers-spe-method) ## The Problem For over 20 years, coho salmon populations in Washington State's Puget Sound have suffered unexplained mass die-offs. Some populations are now listed as endangered or threatened. The cause: stormwater runoff from roads carrying 6PPD-Quinone, a transformation product of the tire rubber antioxidant 6PPD that forms when tyres react with ground-level ozone. 6PPD-Quinone is lethal to juvenile coho salmon at concentrations as low as **0.094 ng/mL**. Detecting it in tissue at relevant levels demands serious extraction and cleanup chemistry. ![600 x 308 CD Blog UCT - Emerging Contaminants](https://blog.chromatographydirect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Canva%20images/600%20x%20308%20CD%20Blog%20UCT%20-%20Emerging%20Contaminants.png?width=600&height=310&name=600%20x%20308%20CD%20Blog%20UCT%20-%20Emerging%20Contaminants.png) ## The Bigger Picture Testing for PPD transformation products is growing rapidly. Tyre manufacturers and ecotoxicologists are evaluating alternative p-phenylenediamine compounds (CPPD, 7PPD) as potentially safer substitutes for 6PPD. That means labs need methods that can screen multiple PPD-quinones simultaneously in complex biological matrices. ## UCT's Method: QuEChERS Extraction with Multi-Sorbent Cleanup UCT developed a purpose-built QuEChERS extraction, cleanup, and LC-MS/MS method for multiple PPD-quinones in salmon tissue. The challenge: salmon tissue contains up to 16% fat, heavy carotenoid pigmentation, and co-extractives that suppress ionisation and obscure trace-level analytes. ### The Cleanup Strategy After QuEChERS extraction, samples pass through **three UCT push-thru cartridges in series**: 1. **Quick QuEChERS**: removes short-chain acids and sugars 2. **C18**: strips carotenoid pigments co-extracted with the tissue 3. **LipiFiltr**: removes stubborn lipids and fats (critical for high-fat salmon matrix) This layered approach is what gets you from a 16% fat matrix to a clean extract suitable for trace-level quantitation. ### Analysis Extracts are separated on a core-shell C18 HPLC column by LC-MS/MS. 6PPD-Quinone is quantitated using extracted isotope dilution; remaining PPD-quinones use an extracted internal standard. Matrix-matched calibration with LOD/LOQ studies confirms accuracy and precision. ### Performance - **Detection limit: 0.073 ng/g** (below the lethal threshold for juvenile coho) - **Matrix effects: below 12%** That's sub-lethal sensitivity from one of the fattiest, most pigmented biological matrices you'll encounter in environmental toxicology. ## Why Chromatography Direct The home of chromatography consumables. We carry UCT's full QuEChERS range, push-thru cleanup cartridges (Quick QuEChERS, C18, LipiFiltr), and core-shell analytical columns. High-quality consumables at unrivalled prices, making your lab budget go further. We're so much more than chromatography. Whether you're testing PPD-quinones in fish tissue, pesticides in food, or emerging contaminants in environmental matrices, we supply the sorbent combinations that deliver clean extracts and defensible data. Talk to us about method-specific cartridge bundles and bulk pricing. 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