| Abstract: | A rapid, sensitive, and selective precolumn derivatization method for the simultaneous determination of eight thiophenols using 3‐(2‐bromoacetamido)‐N‐(9‐ethyl‐9H )‐carbazol as a labeling reagent by high‐performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed. The labeling reagent reacted with thiophenols at 50°C for 50 min in aqueous acetonitrile in the presence of borate buffer (0.10 mol/L, pH 11.2) to give high yields of thiophenol derivatives. The derivatives were identified by online postcolumn mass spectrometry. The collision‐induced dissociation spectra for thiophenol derivatives gave the corresponding specific fragment ions at m/z 251.3, 223.3, 210.9, 195.8, and 181.9. At the same time, derivatives exhibited intense fluorescence with an excitation maximum at λex = 276 nm and an emission maximum at λem = 385 nm. Excellent linear responses were observed for all analytes over the range of 0.033–6.66 μmol/L with correlation coefficients of more than 0.9997. Detection limits were in the range of 0.94–5.77 μg/L with relative standard deviations of less than 4.54%. The feasibility of derivatization allowed the development of a rapid and highly sensitive method for the quantitative analysis of trace levels of thiophenols from some rubber products. The average recoveries (n = 3) were in the range of 87.21–101.12%. |
