HPLC Determination of Carbonyl Compounds in Ethanol Used for Cigarettes

A method of HPLC for the simultaneous determination of 7 carbonyl compounds, i.e., formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, acraldehyde, crotonaldehyde, 2-butanone and butyraldehyde, in ethanol used for cigarettes was proposed. In an acidic medium, the sample was derivatized with the derivatizing reagent, 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH). The derivatives of 7 carbonyl compounds were used for HPLC analysis, using Phenomenex Luna 5u C18 column as stationary phase and mixtures of acetonitrile and water mixed in different ratios as mobile phases in gradient elution. PAD at the wavelength of 352 nm was adopted in the determination. Linear relationships between values of peak area and concentration of 7 carbonyl compounds were obtained in the definite ranges, with detection limits (3S/N) in the range of 3.9-9.9 μg·L-1. Using samples of blank ethanol as matrixes, tests for recovery were made by standard addition method, and values of recovery obtained were in the range of 97.0%-99.0%, with values of RSD′s (n=5) in the range of 0.2%-2.1%.