Determination of Phenolic Antioxidants in Spilled Aviation Fuels by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Summary A gas chromatography-mass spectrometric assay method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (DTBP) and 2,4-dimethyl-6-tert-butylphenol (DMTBP) in aviation fuel. Extraction and purification were achieved with a solid phase extraction procedure using silica gel. Elution was performed with 30 mL of methylene chloride: pentane (2:3) following washing with 10 mL of n-pentane. The extract was concentrated to about 100 L and analyzed by GC-MS (SIM). The peaks had good chromatographic properties by using a semi-polar column (Innowax) and the extraction of these compounds from samples gave recoveries of about 87% for DTBP and about 75% for DMTBP with small variations. Method detection limits were 5.0 ng mL^–1 for DBMP and 7.0 ng mL^–1 for DMTBP. The method may be useful for spilled fuel type differentiation between kerosene and JP-8.