Routine determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in carbon black by chromatographic techniques

A method is proposed for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in carbon blacks. The PAHs are extracted from the carbon black with benzene in a Soxhlet apparatus, purified by silica gel thin-layer chromatography, weighed and analysed by gas and/or high-performance liquid chromatography. The total PAH and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) concentrations in different types of carbon blacks and in different batches of the same carbon black were determined. It is shown that the distribution of the PAH fraction in different types of carbon blacks is almost the same but there are considerable differences in the total amount of the PAH fraction and the BaP concentration.