Simultaneous Analysis of Nine Aromatic Amines in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke Using Modified QuEChERS and Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A modified QuEChERS method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed to detect nine aromatic amines in mainstream cigarette smoke simultaneously. In this study, a Cambridge filter pad, impregnated with a hydrochloric acid-ethanol solution, was used to trap aromatic amines in vapor and particulate phases in mainstream cigarette smoke. The collection efficiency of aromatic amines for this method was significantly improved compared with conventional methods of trapping aromatic amines using a combination of Cambridge filter pad followed by impinger traps containing dilute acid solution. Utilizing primary secondary amine and C₁₈ for purification effectively removed impurities of different polarities from smoke samples with reduced matrix effect. The limits of detection for the nine aromatic amines were within the range of 0.02–0.10 ng/cig, recoveries were within the range of 86.1%–113.7% and the intraday and interday precisions were both lower than 14%. A collaborative study was conducted involving 10 laboratories to validate developed method for the determination of nine aromatic amines in mainstream cigarette smoke. Statistical evaluation of the results gave good precision results, with an average repeatability relative standard deviation of 5.90%–35.38% and an average reproducibility relative standard deviation of 9.55%–75.72%. As a part of the validation procedure, the developed method was applied to evaluate aromatic amines yields for 17 commercially available cigarettes in China. Compared to the existing methods, this analytical approach affords high sensitivity and efficiency, improved accuracy, and lower cost.