Determination of basic nitrogen-containing polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons formed during thermal degradation of polymers by high-performance liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection

A method for the simultaneous determination of 22 nitrogen-containing polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (15 azaarenes and seven amino-PAHs) in the gaseous products of the thermal degradation of polymers is described. After desorption and clean-up using cation-exchange chromatography (PRS cartridge) the samples were analyzed by HPLC–FD. The validation was carried out with real nylon 6 combustion samples. The recoveries of the compounds are in the range of 89–99% for the extraction and 91–100% for the clean up procedure. The detection limits ranged from 7 to 160 pg. The high recovery values, due to the quick and efficient clean-up procedure, resulted in low relative standard deviations (with the exception of acridine and 2-aminoanthracene <5%). The applicability of the method is also investigated for the determination of the N-PAHs in a pyrolysis sample.