Determination of Alcohol in Hand Sanitizer by Headspace GC-FID

Introduction

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 the sales of hand sanitizer products have increased rapidly. Even though hand washing with soap and water is the preferred way to clean hands, hand sanitizers are recommended when clean water and soap are not available. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contain at least 60 % ethanol or 70 % isopropanol (IPA). The determination of alcohol contents in hand sanitizers has been demonstrated using GC-FID with liquid injection. However, some hand sanitizers contain other ingredients, such as colorants and thickening agents, which could potentially contaminate the GC. Here, we describe a headspaceGC-FID method using nitrogen as the carrier gas to analyze alcohol content in hand sanitizers.

December 22, 2020 GMT