Automated on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction-assisted derivatization coupled to liquid chromatography for quantifying residual dimethylamine in cationic polymers

A method for the analysis of dimethylamine (DMA) by automated in-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME)-supported chemical derivatization coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was developed. Extraction, derivatization and desorption were studied by using a capillary coated with 95% polydimethylsiloxane and 5% polydiphenylsiloxane. Solution derivatization and automated IT-SPME derivatization using 9-fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) were compared. The proposed procedure provided adequate linearity, accuracy and precision in the 0.2–2.0 μg/mL concentration interval, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 50 ng/mL. The main advantages of the proposed procedure are: (i) no off-line sample manipulation, (ii) rapidity, as the total analysis time is about 10 min, (iii) specificity for the samples assayed, (iv) minimal consumption of FMOC reagent and (v) minimal residues. Therefore, the proposed method is an environmental-friendly and cost-effective alternative for the control of residual DMA in polymeric cationic surfactants used like flocculants in water treatment.