Determination of Glycerol, Propylene Glycol, and Nicotine as the Main Components in Refill Liquids for Electronic Cigarettes.

Introduction:
This text discusses a study on the determination of glycerol, propylene glycol, and nicotine in e-cigarette refill liquids using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with electrospray ionization (ESI). The study aims to develop a simple and accurate method for determining the main components of e-cigarette refill liquids in a single analysis.

Key Points:
- The study used a dilute-and-shoot approach for sample preparation with recoveries ranging from 96 to 112% and coefficients of variation less than 6.4%.
- The LC-MS/MS method using hILIC-MS/MS was successfully applied for the determination of the main components of e-cigarette refill liquids.
- The nicotine concentrations in the samples corresponded to the labelling, and the ratios of propylene glycol to glycerol were also determined.
- The method is rapid and suitable for quick determination of glycerol, propylene glycol, and nicotine.
- The study is the first to use hILIC-MS/MS for the determination of the main components of e-cigarette refill liquids in a single analysis.
- The proposed procedure is simple and suitable for quality control and health safety of e-cigarette refill liquids.

Main Message:
The study presents a novel and accurate method for the determination of glycerol, propylene glycol, and nicotine in e-cigarette refill liquids using LC-MS/MS in MRM mode with ESI. The proposed sample preparation and developed chromatographic method using hILIC were successfully applied for the determination of the main components of e-cigarette refill liquids. The proposed procedure is rapid and suitable for quality control and health safety of e-cigarette refill liquids. The study is the first to use hILIC-MS/MS for the determination of the main components of e-cigarette refill liquids in a single analysis, making it a valuable contribution to the field.

Kubica P. Determination of Glycerol, Propylene Glycol, and Nicotine as the Main Components in Refill Liquids for Electronic Cigarettes. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2023;28(11). doi:10.3390/molecules28114425