Estimation of organophosphoric acid triesters in soft polyurethane foam using a concentrated sulfuric acid dissolution technique and gas chromatography with flame photometric detection.

A concentrated sulfuric acid dissolution technique and a GC method are described for the estimation of tributyl phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate, tris(chloropropyl) phosphate, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, triphenyl phosphate and tris(butoxyethyl) phosphate in soft polyurethane foam. A soft polyurethane foam sample containing organophosphoric acid triesters was dissolved in concentrated sulfuric acid. The solution was added to water, where only the polyurethane was separated out. The pH of the solution was adjusted, and organophosphoric acid triesters were extracted with toluene. After purification, the compounds were determined by GC. The detection limits of the organophosphoric acid triesters were 0.3 - 0.9 microg g(-1). The recoveries of the organophosphoric acid triesters from a 0.05 g sample of soft polyurethane foam were 80.0 - 90.0%, when the spiked amounts were 0.25 - 1 microg. The compounds were detected from soft polyurethane foam at the level of 0.4 - 23.3 microg g(-1).