The determination of benzo[a]pyrene in the total particulate matter of cigarette smoke

A procedure for the isolation and determination of benzo[a]pyrene in the total particulate matter of cigarette smoke is described. Two high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) techniques are employed: a normal-phase, mu Bondapak-NH2, amino column is used for isolation of the benzo[a]pyrene fraction and a reversed-phase, Vydac 201TP54, polymeric octadecyl silane column is used for quantitation. Fluorescence detection is used in both modes of chromatography. The wavelengths of excitation and emission are evaluated for analytical detection. Extraction media and various isolation techniques are compared for their extraction efficiency and isolation from interferences, respectively. The procedure is efficient, reproducible, sensitive (3 pg), and gives results that compare favorably with other techniques reported in the literature for the B[a]P content of reference cigarettes, 1R1 and 1R4F.