Determination of Gaseous and Particulate Polyamines in Air Using Sorbent or Filter Coated with Naphthylisothiocyanate

Abstract Aliphatic polyamines, such as diethylenetriamine (DETA), tri-ethylenetetramine (TETA), and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) are widely used in industry. Exposure to these polyamines causes irritation of the respiratory tract and skin sensitization. For the determination of polyamines in air, derivatization with 1-naphthylisothiocyanate to polythioureas was evaluated. Reference polythioureas from DETA, TETA, and TEPA were synthesized and identified by mass spectrometry. The polythioureas were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The method was validated by generation of DETA vapor and TETA and TEPA aerosols. 1-Naphthylisothiocyanatecoated Amberlite XAD-2 was used for the sampling of DETA and coated glass fiber filters for TETA and TEPA. The sensitivity of the method was 0.01 mg/m3, and the precision, as relative standard deviation of spiked samples, was 4 percent.