analysis of e-liquids for electronic cigarettes using GC-IMS/MS with headspace sampling.

This article presents a method for detecting and quantifying selected substances in e-liquids for electronic cigarettes, using a one-of-a-kind gas chromatograph with an ion mobility spectrometer (GC-IMS), which was parallelly coupled with a conventional chromatograph equipped with a quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The study aimed to determine the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOq) for the substances and to analyze 20 samples of commercially available e-liquids.

Key Points:

* The study used GC-IMS and GC-MS, parallelly coupled, to detect and quantify selected substances covered by the European directive 2014/40/EU.
* headspace (hS) was used as a sample preparation technique.
* The identification of the selected analytes was performed by mass spectrometry and calibration curves for quantification were recorded.
* The LOD and LOq were determined for all tested substances.
* The method was used to analyze 20 samples of commercially available e-liquids produced in Germany and Poland.
* Substances listed in the directive were found in all samples, and in two of them, a forbidden substance (estragole) was detected.

Main Message:
The study demonstrates a method for detecting and quantifying selected substances in e-liquids, which can be useful in ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. The use of GC-IMS and GC-MS, parallelly coupled, and hS as a sample preparation technique, provides a reliable and sensitive method for the analysis of e-liquids. The presence of forbidden substances in two of the tested samples highlights the importance of monitoring the composition of e-liquids and the need for regulatory oversight.

Budzyńska E, Sielemann S, Puton J, Surminski aLRM. analysis of e-liquids for electronic cigarettes using GC-IMS/MS with headspace sampling. Talanta. 2020;209:120594. doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2019.120594