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Determiantion of PRAKTYKA
formaldehyde in indoor air

USING PUF PASSIVE SAMPLING

At ambient temperature, formaldehyde is a flammable, colourless and reactive gas. Formaldehyde is also toxic, causes
irritation to the eyes and respiratory tract. Formaldehyde is a chemical feedstock for many industrial processes. It is
also used as a preservative, disinfectant and biocide. It is used for production formaldehyde resins, which are used for
production of many types of wood-based products.
In this study a new method for the determination of formaldehyde in air samples was developed. Passive sampling on
polyurethane foam (PUF) was used. Formaldehyde was eluted from PUF by water in SPE glass columns under vacuum.
Then, a derivatization reaction with phenylhydrazine was performed. Application of phenylhydrazine as a derivative
agent is a new method for the determination of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde phenylhydrazone, as the product of
derivatization reaction, was determined by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with diode array
detector (RP-HPLC-DAD) adjusted to 347 nm. As a mobile phase acetonitrile/water (60/40 v/v) was used.
The limit of quantification of formaldehyde for this method is calculated as 1 μg/mL as a concentration in aqueous
eluate from PUF sampler.

ANALITYKA – NUMER 2, ROK (XVI) 2015 47