Alkylated and Chlorinated Polysulfides Detected in Sediments of the Eastern Gulf of Finland

Sediments collected in October 1997 from four locations in the Eastern Gulf of Finland were studied for organic pollutants. Extraction of samples with methylene chloride followed by a concentration procedure and high resolution GC coupled with low resolution mass spectrometric analysis revealed the presence of nearly 200 organic compounds. As a first result, we present data concerning six organosulfur compounds, not previously known as environmental chemicals. One of the compounds was identified as bis(dichloromethyl) disulfide. The other five previously unknown substances were deduced from their mass spectra to be bis(dichloromethyl)trisulfide, 1,1,2-trichlorodimethyl disulfide, dichloromethyl thiylsulfenyl chloride, tetrathiacyclopentane and a structurally unidentified alkylpolysulfide which possibly also contains oxygen.