Ethanol Analysis by Headspace Gas Chromatography with Simultaneous Flame-Ionization and Mass Spectrometry Detection

• Published in: Journal of analytical toxicology 2011-09, Vol.35 (7), p.501-511
• Main Authors: Tiscione, Nicholas B., Alford, Ilene, Yeatman, Dustin Tate, Shan, Xiaoqin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Biological and medical sciences; Calibration; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Ethanol - blood; Ethanol - metabolism; Ethanol - urine; Flame Ionization - instrumentation; Flame Ionization - methods; Flame Ionization - statistics & numerical data; Forensic Toxicology - instrumentation; Forensic Toxicology - methods; Forensic Toxicology - statistics & numerical data; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - instrumentation; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Limit of Detection; Medical sciences; Reference Standards; Reproducibility of Results; Toxicology; Uncertainty
• ISSN: 0146-4760; 1945-2403
• DOI: 10.1093/anatox/35.7.501

Ethanol is the most frequently identified compound in forensic toxicology. Although confirmation involving mass spectrometry is desirable, relatively few methods have been published to date. A novel technique utilizing a Dean's Switch to simultaneously quantitate and confirm ethyl alcohol by flame-ionization (FID) and mass spectrometric (MS) detection after headspace sampling and gas chromatographic separation is presented. Using 100 µL of sample, the limits of detection and quantitation were 0.005 and 0.010 g/dL, respectively. The zero-order linear range (r 2 > 0.990) was determined to span the concentrations of 0.010 to 1.000 g/dL. The coefficient of variation of replicate analyses was less than 3.1%. Quantitative accuracy was within ±8%, ±6%, ±3%, and ±1.5% at concentrations of 0.010, 0.025, 0.080, and 0.300 g/dL, respectively. In addition, 1,1-difluoroethane was validated for qualitative identification by this method. The validated FID-MS method provides a procedure for the quantitation of ethyl alcohol in blood by FID with simultaneous confirmation by MS and can also be utilized as an identification method for inhalants such as 1,1-difluoroethane.