Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry versus liquid chromatography/fluorescence detection in the analysis of phenols in mainstream cigarette smoke

A new gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) technique for the analysis of hydroxybenzenes (phenols) in mainstream cigarette smoke has been developed. The technique allows the measurement of 24 individual compounds, and the sum of a few other alkyl-dihydroxybenzenes. A critical evaluation is done for the new technique and for an established high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique reported in the literature for the analysis of hydroxybenzenes in cigarette smoke, which uses fluorescence detection. Compared with the HPLC procedure, the new technique has similar accuracy, precision, and robustness. However, the GC/MS procedure allows for a larger number of phenols to be analyzed simultaneously, and eliminates any potential interference that may appear in the HPLC method. Using the GC/MS analysis, it was found that besides the main phenols typically measured in mainstream cigarette smoke such as phenol, catechol, hydroquinone, and cresols, many other phenols that are present at lower levels can be quantitated in mainstream cigarette smoke.