L. Ng, M. Hupé, J. Harnois
Sep 4, 1998
Citations
0
Influential Citations
14
Citations
Journal
Analytical Chemistry
Abstract
Direct injection GC/MS was investigated for the analysis of benzyldiethyl(2,6-xylylcarbamoylmethyl)ammonium benzoate (Bitrex), a quaternary ammonium salt, in various Canadian denatured alcohol formulations. Bitrex yielded predominantly a peak due to the neutral diethylamine derivative (I). The structure of I, elucidated by MS and NMR, is strongly related to that of the cation of Bitrex. Compound I was formed from Bitrex in the heated injector port of the GC via a decomposition reaction similar to Stevens rearrangement. The response of I was found to be dependent on the injector port temperature, and the optimal temperature was determined to be in the range 250−350 °C. The GC/MS response of I in SIM mode was used to quantify Bitrex. The effects of the codenaturants sucrose octaacetate (SOA), diethyl phthalate (DEP), and camphor, which are present at much higher concentration than Bitrex in several formulations, were also investigated. The presence of SOA enhanced the response of the analyte considerably, w...