On-Line Coupling of Gas Chromatography-Gas Chromatography for the Determination of Coumarin in Kerosene

Determination of coumarin in kerosene was studied. Kerosene is discriminated from taxed fuel oil by the addition of coumarin in Japan. A fluorescence detection method has been widely used to check the legal distribution of kerosene, however, the method is inevitably resulting waste fluid consisted both of the aqueous alkaline solution and the organic solvent. By introducing a heart-cutting analysis with a set of on-line coupled packed-capillary and open-tubular columns, coumarin in kerosene was successfully determined in gas chromatography. The developed technique showed several advantageous features such as a significantly reduced waste, quick and easy separation/determination, along with a reduced sample volume required in the determination process.