Quantification of plasticizers in poly(vinyl chloride) commodities by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Abstract

Flexible packaging films, lids of glass jars, elastic toys, or medical commodities made of poly(vinyl chloride) contain different plasticizers, which tend to migrate out of the respective product. To test compliance to regulations, the content of plasticizers and their migration properties have to be determined analytically. With a rapid high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method it was able to quantify phthalic acid esters, diisononyl cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate, sebacates, citrates, adipates, and epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) simultaneously. Chromatography was performed on HPTLC silica gel glass plates, and detection was enabled by dipping the plate into primuline solution. ESBO could be quantified after a newly introduced lipase treatment and chromatography of the epoxidized fatty acids. Validation was performed by analyzing self-made plastisols, showing good recoveries and standard deviations. Limits of detection and quantification generally were approximately 10–20 and 30–60 ng per z...