The use of capillary electrophoresis to study the formation of carcinogenic aryl amines in azo dyes

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for separating and detecting certain aromatic amines is described. In this study, the utility of this technique for monitoring dyes syntheses is also demonstrated. In addition to the analysis of amines, CZE can detect other impurities present in the starting materials used in dye synthesis. The influence of reaction conditions on the amount of carcinogenic amines liberated from azo dyes following sodium dithionite treatment is discussed.