The Quantification of Hydroquinone, Catechol, Phenol, 3-Methylcatechol, Scopoletin, m+p-Cresol and o-Cresol in Indoor Air Samples by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the quantification of the phenolic compounds hydroquinone, catechol, phenol, 3-methylcatechol, scopoletin, m+p-cresol and o-cresol in indoor air samples. Samples are COllected on an 0.8 μm pore size mixed cellulose ester membrane (MCEM) followed by a silica gel Sep-Pak (SiOHSP). The MCEM is extracted and the SiOHSP is eluted with 1% acetic acid (HAc). The phenolic compounds were analyzed on a reverse-phase column with fluorescence detection at selected excitation and emission wavelengths specific to the compounds of interest. A mobile phase gradient of 1% HAc and 99% acetonitrile (ACN) + 1% HAc is used. The method is reproducible with percent relative standard deviations (%RSD) ranging from 2.0 to 9.2 for the seven phenolic compounds. Percent recoveries are acceptable (88–98) with the exception of scopoletin (52) and p-cresol (52). A comparison of tobacco versus wood smoke show that amounts of these seven phenolic compounds vary widely with their source. A relatively short sampling time (1–4 hours) is required and the procedure is capable of detecting <0.3 μg m⁻³ for all compounds with the exception of 3-methylcatechol with a detection limit of <4.0 μg, m⁻³.