A STUDY OF THE ELECTROCHEMISTRY AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY OF N-NITROSODIETHANOLAMINE

N-Nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA) is a suspected carcinogen that has been detected in various products. Reliable and convenient procedures for examining NDELA in these products are necessary to reduce the danger to the public. The electrochemistry and analytical chemistry of NDELA were therefore investigated in various sample matrices. An analytical method was developed in which an aqueous extract of the sample was photolyzed to convert the NDELA present to diethanolamine (DEA) and nitrite ion. The presence of nitrite was then determined colorimetrically by a reaction with p-nitrosodimethylaniline. This technique was used to screen a number of cosmetic samples for NDELA, and was shown to be quantitative. The method was also successfully applied to cutting oils.;The behavior of NDELA at the dropping mercury electrode was investigated. The reduction mechanism in acidic solution was found to involve four electrons and four protons, while the mechanism in basic solution involves two electrons and two protons. The NDELA levels in DEA and cosmetics were determined by differential pulse polarography (DPP) without resorting to a complicated sample preparation procedure.;NDELA was also examined in cosmetics and DEA by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet and DPP detection. NDELA levels in aqueous extracts of cosmetics were readily determined. Analysis of NDELA in DEA was complicated by the existence of interfering compounds presumably created by the oxidation of the DEA. A rapid derivatization procedure was found to be effective in eliminating the interference.