Determination of Phthalates in Polymer Materials Comparison of GC/MS and GC/ECD methods

Katarzyna Jaworek,Marianna Czaplicka

doi:10.4322/polimeros.2014.014

Abstract

The paper presents two methods for determination of phthalates in polymer materials. The methods compared were gas chromatography combined with the mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC/ECD). The GC/ECD technique was chosen for this comparison, because the ECD detector was one of few capable of detecting phthalates. In both cases the same procedure of sample preparation with ultrasonic extraction was applied. Overall recoveries were 76-100 % with relative of standard deviation (R.S.D.) values in the range 0.6-19 %. The values of limit of detection (LOD) for GC/MS method ranged from 3.46 µg mL - 1 to 10.10 µg mL - 1, depending on the determined phthalate, while in case of the GC/ECD method they were in the range from 2.97 µg mL - 1 to 4.29 µg mL - 1. The methods were applied for determination of: dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, di-n-butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, diisoocyl phthalate in polymer material. The seventeen kinds of samples were analyzed. Most of the materials selected for the analyses were made from polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS).

Highlights

R were gas chromatography combined with the mass spectrometry (GC/mass spectrometry detector (MS)) and gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC/ECD)
The values of limit of detection (LOD) for gas chromatography combined with the mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method ranged from 3.46 μg mL–1 to 10.10 μg mL–1, depending on the determined phthalate, while in case of the GC/ECD method they were in the range from
K.; Czaplicka, M. - Determination of phthalates in polymer materials – comparison of GC/MS and GC/ECD methods ethylhexyl) phthalate, all dissolved in methanol, each at a concentration of 500 μg mL–1 (EPA 506 Phthalate Esters Mix), diisononyl phthalate, diisoocyl phthalate and Amberlite XAD-2 were purchased from Supelco Company (Bellefonte, PA, USA)

Summary

Introduction

R were gas chromatography combined with the mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC/ECD). - Determination of phthalates in polymer materials – comparison of GC/MS and GC/ECD methods ethylhexyl) phthalate, all dissolved in methanol, each at a concentration of 500 μg mL–1 (EPA 506 Phthalate Esters Mix), diisononyl phthalate, diisoocyl phthalate and Amberlite XAD-2 were purchased from Supelco Company (Bellefonte, PA, USA). For the purpose of this paper, seventeen kinds of polymer materials, like plastic parts of a plug, cables, a garden hose, containers, pipes and pellets, were analyzed.

Results

Conclusion