Halogenated fatty amides - A brand new class of disinfection by-products

Mucolytic Drugs Ambroxol and Bromhexine: Transformation under Aqueous Chlorination Conditions

Bromhexine and ambroxol are among the mucolytic drugs most widely used to treat acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Entering the municipal wastewater and undergoing transformations during disinfection with active chlorine, these compounds can produce nitrogen- and bromine-containing disinfection by-products (DBPs) that are dangerous for aquatic ecosystems. In the present study, primary and deep degradation products of ambroxol and bromhexine obtained in model aquatic chlorination experiments were studied via the combination of high-performance liquid and gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry. It was shown that at the initial stages, the reactions of cyclization, hydroxylation, chlorination, electrophilic ipso-substitution of bromine atoms with chlorine, and oxidative N-dealkylation occur. Along with known metabolites, a number of novel primary DBPs were tentatively identified based on their elemental compositions and tandem mass spectra. Deep degradation of bromhexine and ambroxol gives twenty-four identified volatile and semi-volatile compounds of six classes, among which trihalomethanes account for more than 50%. The specific class of bromhexine- and ambroxol-related DBPs are bromine-containing haloanilines. Seven of them, including methoxy derivatives, were first discovered in the present study. One more novel class of DBPs associated with bromhexine and ambroxol is represented by halogenated indazoles formed through dealkylation of the primary transformation products containing pyrazoline or tetrahydropyrimidine cycle in their structure.

Identify organic contaminants of high-concern based on non-targeted toxicity testing and non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis in tap water and source water along the Yangtze River

Many organic pollutants were detected in tap water (TW) and source water (SW) along the Yangtze River. However, the potential toxic effects and the high-concern organics (HCOs) which drive the effect are still unknown. Here, a non-targeted toxicity testing method based on the concentration-dependent transcriptome and non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis combining tiered filtering were used to reveal the overall biological effects and chemical information. Subsequently, we developed a qualitative pathway-structure relationship (QPSR) model to effectively match the biological and chemical information and successfully identified HCOs in TW and SW along the Yangtze River by potential substructures of HCOs. Non-targeted toxicity testing found that the biological potency of both TW and SW was stronger in the downstream of the Yangtze River, and disruption of the endocrine system and cancer were the main drivers of the effect. In addition, non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis combined with retention time prediction results identified 3220 and 631 high-confidence compound structures in positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Then, QPSR model was further implied and identified a total of 103 HCOs, containing 35 industrial chemicals, 30 PPCPs, 26 pesticides, and 12 hormones in TW and SW, respectively. Among them, the neuroactive and hormonal compounds oxoamide, 8-iso-16-cyclohexyl-tetranor prostaglandin E2, E Keppra, and Tocris-0788 showed the highest frequency of detection, which were identified in more than 1/3 of the samples. The strategy of combining non-targeted toxicity testing and non-targeted LC-HRMS analysis will support comprehensive biological effect assessment, identification of HCOs, and risk control of mixtures.

Evaluating the photochemical reactivity of disinfection byproducts formed during seawater desalination processes

Reverse osmosis (RO) is widely used for seawater desalination but pre-chlorination of intake water produces halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs). The fate and environmental impacts associated with the discharge of DBP-containing RO brine wastewater are unknown. Therefore, to evaluate if photochemistry plays a role in DBP degradation in seawater, we collected samples at a desalination plant, which were desalted and concentrated using two-inline solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques combining reverse-phase polymeric (PPL) and weak anion exchange (WAX) resins. Both filtered water samples and SPE samples (extracts reconstituted in open ocean seawater) were exposed to simulated sunlight in a custom-built flow-through system. Optical property analysis during irradiation experiments did not provide distinguishing features between intake water and RO reject water (brine). Extractable organic bromine (organoBr) concentrations were low in intake water samples (7.8 μg Br L-1) and did not change significantly due to irradiation. OrganoBr concentrations in laboratory-chlorinated raw water were much higher (135 μg Br L-1) and on average decreased by 42 % after 24 h irradiation. However, while organoBr concentrations were highest in RO reject water (473 μg Br L-1), changes in organoBr concentrations in PPL SPE samples after 24 h irradiation were variable, ranging from a 1-46 % loss. Furthermore, most bromine-containing molecular ions identified by high resolution mass spectrometry that were present in RO reject water before irradiation were also found after both 24 h and 50 h exposures. Although only one RO reject water sample was tested in this study, results highlight that hundreds of yet to be identified brominated DBPs in RO reject water could be resistant to photodegradation or phototransform into existing DBPs in the environment. Future work examining the biolability of DBPs in RO reject water, as well as the interplay between photochemical and biological DBP cycling, is warranted.

N-dealkylation of amines during water disinfection - Revealing a new direction in the formation of disinfection by-products

Among numerous disinfection by-products (DBP) forming during aqueous chlorination nitrogen containing species are of special concern due to their toxicological properties. Nevertheless, corresponding reaction products of these natural and anthropogenic compounds are not sufficiently studied so far. An interesting reaction involves dealkylation of the substituted amine moiety. Here we present the results of the comparative study of one-electron oxidation and aqueous chlorination of several aliphatic and aromatic amines. The reaction products were reliably identified with gas chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS), high pressure liquid chromatography - electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry HPLC-ESI/HRMS), and electrochemistry - electrospray ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (EC-ESI/HRMS). Certain similarities dealing with the formation of the corresponding aldehydes and substitution of alkyl groups at the nitrogen atom for hydrogen were shown for the studied processes. The mechanism of the substituted amines' aqueous chlorination involving one-electron oxidation is proposed and confirmed by the array of the observed reaction products. Alternative reactions taking place in conditions of aqueous chlorination, i.e. aromatic electrophilic substitution, may successfully compete with dealkylation and produce major products.

Cocamidopropyl betaine - a potential source of nitrogen-containing disinfection by-products in pool water

Water treatment for most public pools involves disinfection with active chlorine leading to the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). Among them, nitrogen-containing compounds (N-DBPs) having increased toxicity and adverse effects on human health are of the greatest concern. Being the major component of various body washers for swimmers, cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) represents a potential and still underestimated anthropogenic precursor of N-DBPs in pool water. The purpose of this study was to investigate CAPB transformation pathways and mechanisms under the aqueous chlorination conditions. High-performance liquid and two-dimensional gas chromatography hyphenated with high-resolution mass spectrometry were used for the search and tentative identification of the primary and final CAPB transformation products. A wide range of DBPs containing up to five chlorine atoms including these in combination with hydroxyl and additional carbonyl groups has been revealed in model chlorination experiments for the first time. The proposed mechanism of their formation involves nucleophilic substitution of the secondary amide hydrogen atom at the first stage with subsequent free radical and electrophilic addition reactions resulting in non-selective introduction of halogen atoms and hydroxyl groups in the alkyl chain. The deep transformation products include short-chain chlorinated hydrocarbons and their oxidation products as well as dimethylcarbamoyl chloride possessing high toxicity and carcinogenic properties. Targeted analysis of real swimming pool water samples confirmed the results of model experiments enabling semi-quantitative determination of CAPB (0.8 µg L-1) and 18 primary DBPs, including 10 chlorine-containing compounds with the total concentration of 0.1 µg L-1. Among them, monochloro (50%) and hydroxydichloro (25%) derivatives predominate. The toxicity and health of the main DBPs has been estimated using QSAR/QSTR approach. Thus, the possibility of formation of new classes of potentially toxic chlorine-containing DBPs associated with the widespread use of detergents and cosmetics was shown.

Bromination of Quorum Sensing Molecules: Vanadium Bromoperoxidase and Cerium Dioxide Nanocrystals via Free Active Bromine Transform Bacterial Communication

The halogenation of quorum sensing molecules (QSMs) is known to be catalyzed by enzymes such as haloperoxidase (HPO) as well as cerium dioxide nanocrystals (NC), which mimic enzymes. Those enzymes and mimics can influence biological processes such as biofilm formation, where bacteria use QSMs for the "chemical" communication between each other and the coordination of surface colonization. However, not much is known about the degradation behavior of a broad spectrum of QSMs, especially for HPO and its mimics. Therefore, in this study, the degradation of three QSMs with different molecule moieties was elucidated. For this purpose, different batch experiments were carried out with HPOs, NCs and free active bromine (FAB). For N-β-ketocaproyl-homoserine lactone (3-Oxo-C6-AHL), N-cis-tetradec-9Z-enoyl-homoserine lactone (C14:1-AHL) and 2-heptyl-4-quinolone (HHQ) a fast degradation and moiety-specific transformations were observed. The HPO vanadium bromoperoxidase as well as cerium dioxide NCs catalyzed the formation of the same brominated transformation products (TPs). Since the same TPs are formed in batch experiments with FAB it is very likely that FAB is playing a major role in the catalytical reaction mechanism leading to the transformation of QSMs. In this study in total 17 TPs could be identified in different levels of confidence and the catalytic degradation processes for two QS groups (unsaturated AHLs and alkyl quinolones) with cerium dioxide NCs and vanadium bromoperoxidase were expanded.

Computational Investigations of Reaction Mechanisms and Transformation Products of Olefins with Hypochlorous Acid

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) as the main component in chlorination and also as the innate immune factor relevant to immune defense has attracted considerable attention. Electrophilic addition reaction of olefins with HOCl, one of the most important prototype of chemical reactions, has been intensively studied for a long time; however, it has not been fully understood yet. In this study, addition reaction mechanisms and transformation products of model olefins with HOCl were systematically investigated by the density functional theory method. The results indicate that the traditionally believed stepwise mechanism with a chloronium-ion intermediate is only suitable for olefins substituted with electron-donating groups (EDGs) and weak electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs) but it is a carbon-cation intermediate that is favorable for EDGs featuring p-π or π-π conjugation with the C═C moiety. Moreover, olefins substituted with moderate or/and strong EWGs prefer the concerted and nucleophilic addition mechanisms, respectively. Epoxide and truncated aldehyde as the main transformation products can be generated from chlorohydrin through a series of reactions involving hypochlorite; however, their generation is kinetically not as feasible as the formation of chlorohydrin. The reactivity of three chlorinating agents (HOCl, Cl₂O, and Cl₂) and the case study of chlorination and degradation of cinnamic acid were also explored. Additionally, APT charge on the double-bond moiety in olefin and energy gap (ΔE) between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy of olefin and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy of HOCl were found to be good parameters to distinguish the regioselectivity of chlorohydrin and reactivity of olefin, respectively. The findings of this work are helpful in further understanding the chlorination reactions of unsaturated compounds and identifying complicated transformation products.

Aqueous Chlorination of D-Limonene

Limonene (1-methyl-4-(1-methylethenyl)-cyclohexene) is one of the most widespread monocyclic terpenes, being both a natural and industrial compound. It is widely present in the environment, including in water supplies. Therefore, it may be subjected to aqueous chlorination at water treatment stations during drinking water preparation. Besides, being a component of numerous body care and cosmetic products, it may present at high levels in swimming pool waters and could also be subjected to aqueous chlorination. Laboratory experiments with aqueous chlorination of D-limonene demonstrated the prevalence of the conjugated electrophilic addition of HOCl molecule to the double bonds of the parent molecule as the primary reaction. The reaction obeys the Markovnikov rule, as the levels of the corresponding products were higher than those of the alternative ones. Fragmentation pattern in conditions of electron ionization enabled the assigning of the structures for four primary products. The major products of the chlorination are formed by the addition of two HOCl molecules to limonene. The reactions of electrophilic addition are usually accompanied by the reactions of elimination. Thus, the loss of water molecules from the products of various generations results in the reproduction of the double bond, which immediately reacts further. Thus, a cascade of addition-elimination reactions brings the most various isomeric polychlorinated species. At a ratio of limonene/active chlorine higher than 1:10, the final products of aqueous chlorination (haloforms) start forming, while brominated haloforms represent a notable portion of these products due to the presence of bromine impurities in the used NaOCl. It is worth mentioning that the bulk products of aqueous chlorination are less toxic in the bioluminescence test on V. fischeri than the parent limonene.

Halogen substitution reactions of halobenzenes during water disinfection

Although being successfully applied all over the world for more than 100 years water disinfection by means of chlorination possesses certain drawbacks, first of all formation of hazardous disinfection by-products (DBP). Aromatic halogenated DBPs significantly contribute to the total organic halogen and developmental toxicity of chlorinated water. The present study deals with investigation of possible substitution of one halogen for another in aromatic substrates in conditions of aqueous chlorination/bromination. The reaction showed high yields especially in case of substrates with proper position of an activating group in the aromatic ring. Thus, ipso-substitution of iodine by chlorine is the main process of aqueous chlorination of para-iodoanisole. Oxidation of the eliminating I⁺ ions into non-reactive IO₃^- species facilitates the substitution. Oxidation of eliminating Br⁺ is not so easy while being highly reactive it attacks initial substrates forming polybrominated products. Substitution of iodine and bromine by chlorine may also involve migration of electrophilic species inside the aromatic ring resulting in larger number of isomeric DBPs. Substitution of chlorine by bromine in aromatic substrates during aqueous bromination is not so pronounced as substitution of bromine by chlorine in aqueous chlorination due to higher electronegativity of chlorine atom. However, formation of some chlorine-free polybrominated products proves possibility of that process.

Antiviral drug Umifenovir (Arbidol) in municipal wastewater during the COVID-19 pandemic: Estimated levels and transformation

An indole derivative umifenovir (Arbidol) is one of the most widely used antiviral drugs for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and some other viral infections. The purpose of the present study was to shed light on the transformation processes of umifenovir in municipal wastewater, including disinfection with active chlorine, as well as to assess the levels of the antiviral drug and its metabolites entering and accumulating in natural reservoirs under conditions of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The combination of high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization high-resolution mass-spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used for tentative identification and quantification of umifenovir and its transformation products in model reaction mixtures and real samples of wastewater, river water, biological sludge and bottom sediments taken at the wastewater treatment plant in Arkhangelsk, a large cultural and industrial center at the Russian North. Laboratory experiments allowed identifying fifteen bromine-containing transformation products, forming at the initial stages of the chlorination and fourteen classic volatile and semi volatile disinfection by-products with bromoform as the dominant one. Chlorinated derivatives are only the minor disinfection by-products forming by substitution of alkylamine group in the aromatic ring. The schemes of umifenovir transformation in reactions with dissolved oxygen and sodium hypochlorite are proposed. Two established primary transformation products formed by oxidation of the thioether group to sulfoxide and elimination of thiophenol were detected in noticeable concentrations in the wastewater together with their precursor. The level of umifenovir reached 1.3 mg kg^-1 in the sludge and municipal wastewater treat contained 1 μg L^-1 of that drug, while its removal during biological wastewater treatment was about 40%. Pronounced accumulation of umifenovir and its transformation products in biological sludge and bottom sediments of natural reservoirs may be a source of the future secondary pollution of the environment.

Transformation of Organic Compounds during Water Chlorination/Bromination: Formation Pathways for Disinfection By-Products (A Review)

The purity of drinking water is an important issue of the human life quality. Water disinfection has saved millions people from the diseases spread with water. However, that procedure has a certain drawback due to formation of toxic organic disinfection products. Establishing the structures of these products and the mechanisms of their formation and diminishing their levels in drinking water represent an important task for chemistry and medicine, while mass spectrometry is the most efficient tool for the corresponding studies. The current review throws light upon natural and anthropogenic sources of the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) and the mechanisms of their formation related to the structural peculiarities and the presence of functional groups. In addition to chlorination, bromination is discussed since it is used quite often as an alternative method of disinfection, particularly, for the purification of swimming pool water. The benefits of the contemporary GC/MS and LC/MS methods for the elucidation of DBP structures and study of the mechanisms of their formation are discussed. The reactions characteristic for various functional groups and directions of transformation of certain classes of organic compounds in conditions of aqueous chlorination/bromination are also covered in the review.

Monitoring and Statistical Analysis of Formation of Organochlorine and Organobromine Compounds in Drinking Water of Different Water Intakes

The main drawback of drinking water chlorination involves the formation of quite hazardous disinfection by-products (DBPs), represented mainly by halogenated species. Based on the authors’ monitoring data since 2002, the prevalence of chlorine over bromine in the composition of volatile DBPs was shown for the drinking water in Ufa (Russia). However, the situation was completely reversed in the case of semi-volatile DBPs. The principal goal of the present study involved rationalization of the results of the long-term monitoring. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of volatile DBPs. Identification of semi-volatile compounds was carried out with GC-MS, while gas chromatography with an atomic emission detector (GC-AED) was used for their quantification. A significant contribution of oxygen to the composition of semi-volatile compounds proves the decisive role of the dissolved organic matter oxidative destructive processes. Statistical analysis revealed notable linear correlations for trihalomethane and haloacetic acid formation vs. chlorine dose. On the contrary, halogenated semi-volatile products do not demonstrate any correlations with the water quality parameters or chlorine dose. Principal component analysis (PCA) placed them into separate groups. The results allow for proposing that formation of the organohalogenated species involved the fast penetration of bromine into the humic matter molecules and, further, their oxidative destruction by active chlorine.

Arctic snow pollution: A GC-HRMS case study of Franz Joseph Land archipelago

Anthropogenic pollution of the Arctic atmosphere is of great interest due to the vulnerability of the Arctic ecosystems, as well as the processes of global transport and accumulation of atmospheric aerosols at high latitudes under conditions of cold climate. The present work throws light upon chemical composition of Arctic snow as a natural deposition matrix for atmospheric semi-volatile pollutants taken from the northernmost Arctic archipelago - Franz Josef Land, which is least affected by local sources of pollution and being a unique unstudied environmental object. The used methodology involved the liquid-liquid extraction of snow samples with dichloromethane and combination of targeted and non-targeted analyses of semi-volatile organic compounds with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography - high-resolution mass spectrometry. While almost none of the known priority pollutants (except three dialkylphthalates) were identified in the studied samples, non-targeted screening revealed a specific class of biomass burning biomarkers - fatty amides with oleamide being the major component among them. Some peculiar organic pollutants (N,N-dimethylcyclohexylamine and N,N-dimethylbenzylamine) were identified in few samples. First results on the semi volatile pollutants in Franz Joseph Land snow were obtained using the most reliable GC × GC-HRMS non-target analysis.

Identification of novel disinfection byproducts in pool water: Chlorination of the algaecide benzalkonium chloride

The maintenance of public swimming pools requires numerous technological steps. One of the most important issues involves microbiological safety. Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) encompasses homologous alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides with various alkyl chains, in particular C12 and C14, and is known as a popular algaecide for keeping water clean. In addition to BAC, NaOCl and UV-irradiation are also used to treat pool water as additional technological steps. Therefore, BAC itself can become a precursor of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). High-performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), with accurate mass measurements, has allowed the discovery of several groups of DBPs that are related to BAC in public pool water in Arkhangelsk (Russia). These DBPs include numerous isomeric monochlorinated derivatives ([C₂₁H₃₇ClN]⁺ and [C₂₃H₄₁ClN]⁺), hydroxyl derivatives ([C₂₁H₃₈NO]⁺ and [C₂₃H₄₂NO]), carbonyl ([C₂₁H₃₆NO]⁺ and [C₂₃H₄₀NO]⁺), and dicarbonyl derivatives ([C₂₁H₃₄NO₂]⁺ and [C₂₃H₃₈NO₂]⁺). In addition, chlorinated alcohols, ketones and ketoalcohols of BAC were also detected, including [C₂₁H₃₅ClNO]⁺, [C₂₁H₃₇ClNO]⁺ and [C₂₁H₃₅ClNO₂]⁺ for BAC-12; and [C₂₃H₃₉ClNO]⁺, [C₂₃H₄₁ClNO]⁺ and [C₂₃H₃₉ClNO₂]⁺ for BAC-14. MS/MS allowed reliable elucidation of the structures of novel DBPs, proving that chlorination starts via radical substitution in the long aliphatic chains of BAC. UV-irradiation dramatically accelerates the reaction completely destroying the original compounds in less than an hour, while the array of the intermediate products remains the same as in the dark. The formation of other DBPs proceeds due to further reactions of these primary products. The concentrations of novel DBPs in pool water reach μg L^-1 levels. These conclusions were proved by conducting model reactions of BAC with NaOCl.

Synchronous Reduction-Oxidation Process for Efficient Removal of Trichloroacetic Acid: H* Initiates Dechlorination and ·OH Is Responsible for Removal Efficiency

Degradation of chlorinated disinfection by-products using the electroreduction process has been considered as a promising approach for advanced water treatment, while the removal efficiency is restricted by a high barrier for dechlorination of intermediates only by reductive atomic hydrogen (H*) and excessive cost required for reducing atmosphere. In this paper, we predict that the dechlorination efficiency for trichloroacetic acid (TCA), a typical chlorinated disinfection by-product, can be accelerated via a synchronous reduction-oxidation process, where the dechlorination barrier can be lowered by the oxidation reactions toward the critical intermediates using hydroxyl radicals (·OH). Based on scientific findings, we constructed a synchronous reduction-oxidation platform using a Pd-loaded Cu/Cu₂O/CuO array as the core component. According to the combined results of theoretical and experimental analyses, we found that the high dispersion of nano-sized Pd on a photocathode was beneficial for the production of a high concentration of H* at low overpotential, a perquisite for initiating the dechlorination reaction. Simultaneously, excess H* has the potential to convert O₂ to H₂O₂ in ambient conditions (air condition), and H₂O₂ can be further activated by a Cu-containing substrate to ·OH for attacking the critical intermediates. In this system, ∼89.1% of TCA was completely dechlorinated and ∼26.8% mineralization was achieved in 60 min, which was in contrast to the value of ∼65.7% and mineralization efficiency of only ∼1.7% achieved through the reduction process (Ar condition).

Application of (LC/)MS/MS precursor ion scan for evaluating the occurrence, formation and control of polar halogenated DBPs in disinfected waters: A review

Water disinfection can result in the unintended formation of halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs), which have been the subject of intensive investigation over the past 40 years. Robust methods for evaluating and characterizing the formation of halogenated DBPs are prerequisites for ultimately controlling the formation of DBPs and ensuring quality and safe disinfected water. Only a fraction of the total organic halogen (TOX) formed during disinfection has been chemically identified or even well characterized by the classical (derivatization-)gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method. Such a method may not be amenable to the detection of polar halogenated DBPs, which constitute a major portion of the TOX that is still unaccounted for. Accordingly, a novel precursor ion scan (PIS) method using (liquid chromatography/) electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry was developed for the rapid selective detection of all polar halogenated DBPs-no matter whether the DBPs are known or unknown-in water. This article reviews recent literature on the application of the PIS method for evaluating the occurrence, formation and control of polar halogenated DBPs in disinfected waters. The challenges in developing the PIS method were briefly summarized. Application of the powerful method pinpointed >150 previously unknown DBPs and revealed the formation, speciation and transformation of halogenated DBPs in disinfected drinking water, wastewater effluents, and swimming pool water. For the same source water, positive correlations were found between the total ion intensity (TII) levels in the PIS spectra of m/z 35/79/126.9 and the total organic chlorine/bromine/iodine levels in the disinfected water sample, and a disinfected sample with a higher TII level generally showed a higher toxic potency. Accordingly, the TII value can be used as a surrogate to comparatively reflect the water quality and assess the efficiency of a DBP control approach. To achieve a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of the DBP compositions in different waters and thus better control the DBP formation and reduce their overall toxicity, topics for future work were discussed.

Semi volatile organic compounds in the snow of Russian Arctic islands: Archipelago Novaya Zemlya

Environmental contamination of the Arctic has widely been used as a worldwide pollution marker. Various classes of organic pollutants such as pesticides, personal care products, PAHs, flame retardants, biomass burning markers, and many others emerging contaminants have been regularly detected in Arctic samples. Although numerous papers have been published reporting data from the Canadian, Danish, and Norwegian Arctic regions, the environmental situation in Russian Arctic remains mostly underreported. Snow analysis is known to be used for monitoring air pollution in the regions with cold climate in both short-term and long-term studies. This paper presents the results of a nontargeted study on the semivolatile organic compounds detected and identified in snow samples collected at the Russian Artic Archipelago Novaya Zemlya in June 2016. Gas chromatography coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer enabled the simultaneous detection and quantification of a variety of pollutants including those from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority pollutants list, emerging contaminants (plasticizers, flame retardants-only detection), as well as the identification of novel Arctic organic pollutants, (e.g., fatty acid amides and polyoxyalkanes). The possible sources of these novel pollutants are also discussed. GC-HRMS enabled the detection and identification of emerging contaminants and novel organic pollutants in the Arctic, e.g., fatty amides and polyoxyalkanes.