QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF 1-NAPHTHYLAMINE AND 2-NAPHTHYLAMINE IN CIGARETTE SMOKE

A method is described for the analysis of 1-naphthylamine (I) and 2-naphthylamine (II) in cigarette smoke. The basic nonvolatiles of the smoke of 300 cigarettes are reacted with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and the resulting neutral components are chromatographed on Florisil. The concentrates of N-pentafluoropropionamides of I and II are analyzed by gas chromatography with an electron capture detector, which has a sensitivity limit of less than ng. 14C-labelled I and II served as internal standards. The mainstream smoke of an 85-mm U.S. nonfilter cigarette contained 27 ng of I and 22 ng of II. Although the identification of 2-naphthylamine in cigarette smoke represents the first isolation of a known bladder carcinogen from a non-occupational respiratory environment, no biological significance can as yet be attached to this finding. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.