Detection limit dimethylphenol

Because carbon dioxide is nonpolar, the separation of polar compounds by supercritical carbon dioxide is difficult. Thus, polar modifiers are often used for the separation of phenols and amines. Derivatization has also been employed to obtain nonpolar analytes in some applications. The UV detector has mainly been used for the detection of polar compounds. Oxidative and reductive amperometric detection was also utilized with a detection limit of 250 pg for oxidative detection of 2,6-dimethylphenol. The detection of amines has generally been achieved by FID. Other detectors used for the detection of polar analytes include Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), photodiode array, and flame photometry. 

Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with ELD, using CO2 or C02-MeOH as mobile phase, was applied to simultaneous determination of 11 priority phenols and 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Voltammetric measurements allow low-nanogram detection limits of reducible and oxidizable analytes, even if they elute simultaneously from the chromatographic column . SFC with MeOH-modified CO2 was performed under isobaric and pressure-programmed conditions, combined with ELD. LOD was 250 p,g of 2,6-dimethylphenol for oxidative ELD and 100 pg of 1,3-dinitrobenzene for reductive ELD . Various sorbents were investigated for SPE preconcentration prior to SFC 20 . 

The results from the above two methods gave reasonable quantitative agreement. In most cases, the concentrations of the oxygenates in the fuels were at or below detection limits (1 or 10 ppm) only the bulk JP-8 sample showed analytically significant concentrations of the oxygenates, phenol (2 ppm), ortho-cresol (3 ppm), and 2,4-dimethylphenol (1 ppm). 

---