Workplace monitoring of isocyanates using ion trap liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive liquid chromatography/ion trap tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the qualitative and quantitative detection of isocyanates in air. The method is based on derivatization of isocyanates with 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine during air sampling. The extracts are analyzed using an ion trap LC/MS system equipped with an electrospray (ESI) ion source. The method shows high linearity, specificity, accuracy and precision. The limits of detection are 40x to 55x lower than with UV-based methods.