Abstract

Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) an organosulfur compound which is found in the environment as a result of a number of biogenic productions. It is an environmentally significant compound because of its use as a substrate by bacteria. It penetrates the skin very readily and has the unusual property that many individuals perceive a garlic-like taste in the mouth after contact of DMSO with the skin. In this paper a new analytical method using conducting polypyrrole gas sensor has been developed for the determination of DMSO at nanogram levels in water. HSO₃^- doped Polypyrrole sensor (PPy-HSO₃) has been used for the determination of DMSO in water. The morphology of the PPy conducting film on the surface of the fibers was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The PPy sensor exhibited linear responses to DMSO. The mass effects examined for DMSO indicated that the PPy-HSO₃ was quite sensitive to the DMSO with good reproducibility and good detection limits. The PPy-HSO₃ coupled to a capillary gas chromatograph and used for determination of DMSO in rainwater samples by using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method. Detection limit for the DMSO was 1 ng.

Keywords: Capillary gas chromatography, dimethylsulfoxide determination, gas sensor, nano structure, polypyrrole.

Graphical Abstract