Nitrogen Mustard Hydrolysis Products: Quantitative Analysis Improved

The application note, Quantitative Analysis of Nitrogen Mustard Hydrolysis Products as Ethanolamines, demonstrates use of the Dionex Acclaim® Trinity™ P1 Mixed-Mode column, featuring reversed-phase, anion-exchange, and cation-exchange retention mechanisms, to provide retention and resolution for five target analytes within 5 minutes.

Over half a million tons of ethanolamines are produced annually and used as emulsifying agents, detergents, ingredients in bactericides and cosmetics, and also in the pesticide manufacturing process.1 Inefficient removal and/or inappropriate disposal of ethanolamines may cause adverse effects to the environment. By using a mixed-mode analytical column and selective multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS/MS detection, this method shows significant improvements over previously reported methods with minimum sample preparation, total chromatographic resolution, capability of sub-ppb level quantification, and high throughput. Application of this method to the analysis of surface waters is demonstrated and shows no quantifiable amounts above the lowest reporting limits (LRL). Matrix effects and recovery are evaluated using two surface water matrices and the results indicate better quantitation accuracy for diethanolamine (DEA) by using an isotope-labeled analogue as an internal standard.