Analysis of Coumarin in Tobacco, Smokeless Tobacco Products, and Electronic Cigarette Liquids by Isotope Dilution LC–MS/MS

Abstract

This article describes a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the analysis of coumarin in various tobacco matrices and electronic cigarette (E-cig) liquids, and highlights the importance of evaluating different MS/MS transitions of an analyte in complex sample matrices to overcome matrix effects. Matrix interfering components were separated from analyte using a C18 ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) column with a larger inner diameter (3.0 mm, or 4.6 mm). Matrix suppressions on analyte responses were corrected by isotope dilution. Four different MS/MS transitions of coumarin were studied in each sample matrix to select a suitable MS/MS transition for analyte quantification based on matrix effects on each MS/MS transition. The method was validated using different tobacco matrices and E-cig liquids.