HPLC Determination of Atmospheric Organic Hydroperoxides

Abstract

A high-performance liquid chromatographic analytical technique has been developed for the separation of hydrogen peroxide and low molecular weight organic hydroperoxides. A total of 10 C1–C3 organic hydroperoxides have been separated. The detection system is based on postcolumn derivatization using an enzymatic reaction with p-hydroxyphenylacelic acid to form a fluorescent dimer. The detection limit for the technique is 9 × 10−8 M for hydrogen peroxide and 2 × 10−8 M for other hydroperoxides. This paper details the optimization of the analytical technique, examining column characteristics and the chemistry of the analytical reaction.