Measurement of O-phthalaldehyde (OPA) by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Post Column Derivatization

摘要

O-phthalaldehyde (OPA) is commonly used as a high-level disinfectant in the medical industry. On the International Space Station (ISS), waste heat loads are removed by an Internal Active Thermal Control System (IATCS) which is a water based system in conjunction with the an EATCS (External ATCS), ammonia based system. OPA is used in the IATCS water based system as a biocide to prevent negative impacts to coolant flow, heat transfer, and corrosion. Therefore the concentration of the OPA in the coolant fluid is critical to maintain optimum function of the IATCS [1]. The previously used method for validating OPA concentration had been proprietary and is no longer available to NASA. To address the critical need for ISS, a simple and inexpensive process was developed to determine OPA concentration in water by reversing an established method used to determine glyphosate concentrations in water by HPLC using post column derivatization.