Date of Defense

4-11-2008

Department

Chemistry

Keywords

Cooling compounds, Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer, food industry, exports

Abstract

Our experiments were designed to develop a method by which the presence and concentration of a cooling compound, N-ethyl-pmenthane-3-carboxamide (WS3), could be determined analytically using a Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer. Analytical determination ofWS3 content is crucial for companies in the food industry that export mint-oil to Japan or other countries that ban WS3. The experiment was designed to create a set of standards of WS3 in both methanol and mint-oil solvents. Our aim was to successfully create a linear model to determine concentrations of WS3 based on GC-MS readings. Data collected from several trials were subjected to statistical analysis, which resulted in an acceptable linear model for WS3 concentration in mint oil. Using the 0.1 ppm standard, we were able to analyze ten manufactured samples, encompassing a variety of spearmint and peppermint oils. The variability of the instrument causedsomecomplications in GC-MS readings, whichwe hope were minimized by statistical tests eliminating outliers. We conclude that the GC-MS provides a solid qualitative determinant for WS3 presence if standards and samples are run on the same day. However, day-to-dayreadings ofWS3 concentration differ on the GC-MS, which requires a new standard to be run daily.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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