Detection and Quantitation of ACCUTRACE S10, a New Fiscal Marker Used in Low-Duty Fuels, Using a Novel Ultrahigh-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Approach

Abstract

A new ultrahigh-performance supercritical fluid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UHPSFC–MS) method has been developed using electrospray ionization (ESI) to detect and quantify a new fiscal fuel marker, ACCUTRACE S10, that was introduced into fuel in the U.K. and Ireland from April 1, 2015. S10 is synthesized by the Dow Chemical Company and is used as a replacement for ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) fuel markers, such as quinizarin, Euromarker, and Solvent Red 24. It is UV–invisible, is doped at a low level (2.5 ppm), and was designed for detection using modern gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) instrumentation. All currently proposed methods for the determination of the ACCUTRACE S10 fuel marker in diesel fuel (automotive diesel oil, with current specifications of EN 590 and ASTM D975) use GC–MS, and two-dimensional (2D) GC–MS is necessary to detect the marker at tank dilutions. However, the lower limit of detection (LLOD) and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for S10 are severely compromised...