Rapid identification of RoHS-relevant flame retardants from polymer housings by ultrasonic extraction and RP-HPLC/UV

A rapid method was developed for the extraction and identification of RoHS-relevant organic flame retardants in polymer material. Extraction was carried out using ultrasonic supported solvent extraction (USSE) and isopropanol. HPLC separation was achieved using a reversed-phase phenylhexyl-modified column and methanol, containing 2-aminoethanol-buffered, alkaline water. Identification was carried out by scanning UV detection and comparison with a library assembled from spectra of reference substances. The method was used to extract and identify polymer additives in TV and PC monitor housings. The overall runtime required for extraction and chromatographic analysis is less than 10 min. The limits of detection comply with the recommendations set by the German draft law.