Gas chromatographic determination of acrolein in rain water using bromination of O-methyloxime

Abstract

A gas chromatographic method using an electron-capture detector was developed for the determination of acrolein based on the bromination of O-methyloxime. Acrolein was determined by gas chromatography with a 3% silicone Ge XE-60 packed column and the calibration graph showed good linearity in the range 0–0.06 µg ml^–1 of acrolein in aqueous solution. The detection limit was 0.4 ng ml^–1 of acrolein (signal to noise ratio = 2) and the relative standard deviation from five determinations of 0.04 µg ml^–1 of acrolein in aqueous solution was 4.5%. This method is satisfactory for the selective and reproducible determination of trace amounts of acrolein in rain water.