how to detect formic acid and/or formaldehyde?

[eooxx]

hi, i'm new here and in my lab experiment i'm trying to detect possible formic acid or formaldehyde in our sample using chromatography.
any tips? should we go GC or HPLC? what columns?

don't know how relevant this is, but my experiment involves a rhenium photocatalyst that we bubble with CO2 then irradiate. the catalyst using the light energy converts CO2 to CO (which we've successfully tested for using GC). our next step is to determine whether there are any side products in the irradiated sample itself and we suspect formaldehyde or formic acid. plz help

[Consumer Products Guy]

Formaldehyde is commonly detected colorimetrically using acetylacetone in the Nash/Hantsch reaction with ammonium, pretty specific. Or derivatize with 2,4-dintrophenylhydrazine.

Formic acid we do by ion chromatography on an organic acid column with dilute acid eluent. We typically use low wavelength UV for this or conductivity detector.

[thenew2011]

AQ columns maybe a good choice .you can try.I have done with it in detecting Fumarate and Acetic Acid.

[vijayak]

Hi,
I will tell you what i am using.
Column:Phenomenax ROA organic acid H+ ion column.
Mobile phase:0.089N H2So4
Detection: Using RID
Column Temp:50 Deg C
Flow:0.5ml/min

try, u may get peak by 17-20 min. Equlibrate long time(3-4hrs) for RID before statting.

[yaakov]

AEC on Aminex-87H is good for formic acid

[helty]

Formaldehyde is commonly detected colorimetrically using acetylacetone in the Nash/Hantsch reaction with ammonium, pretty specific. Or derivatize with 2,4-dintrophenylhydrazine.

Formic acid we do by ion chromatography on an organic acid column with dilute acid eluent. We typically use low wavelength UV for this or conductivity detector.

Completely agree with the advice. As for our experience, we use a C18 reversed-phase column and water-acetonitrile mobile phase (approximately 50:50, depending on the column type) to determine 2,4-dintrophenylhydrazine derivative of formaldehyde (the reaction proceeds in presence of acid!!!). Formic acid is measured on Dionex ion chromatograph (anion-exchange column, gradient on mobile phase concentration from 0.5 mM NaOH).

[eooxx]

Thank you guys/gals for your help. I really appreciate it :]

Are there any texts or published papers you can refer me to on this?
I found the paper by T. Nash (The [...] estimation of Formaldehyde by means of the Hantzch Reaction), but couldn't find any on Fromic acid..

[helty]

For example this application by Dionex (separation is performed on an ion-exchange column)
http://www.dionex.com/en-us/products/co ... 73257.html
or this one (column for the separation of organic acids)
http://www.dionex.com/en-us/webdocs/259 ... OA_V22.pdf

[zemolo]

Hi!
I'm interested in the analysis of formaldheyde too, with DNPH or Nash, by HPLC with C18 column and UV-DAD detector.
What about the limit of detection? Is it possible, in your opinion, to reach 0.1ppm in water samples?

Thanks!

[Tom Waeghe]

I know a customer or two of ours has had success with the Prontosil C18-AQ column for formic acid and acetic acid. See this example:

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