Determination of formaldehyde in finger-paints for children use by SFE combined with spectrophotometric and chromatographic techniques

A new method to determine formaldehyde in finger-paints for children use is presented. including the optimisation of the supercritical fluid extractio n (SFE) variables and the comparison between three different detection tech niques. The selection of SFE conditions has been carried out by using a fac torial design of 4 factors in 2 level (2(4)). Three different detection tec hniques, ultraviolet-visible (UV-V) spectrophotometry, gas chromatography w ith flame ionisation detection (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled to m ass spectrometry (GC-MS) have been used. A study of the linearity and limit of detection for the quantification of formaldehyde as a product of the Ha ntzsch reaction has been also carried out for each detection technique. Acc uracy and precision in the determination of the formaldehyde content in rea l samples obtained with the addition of known quantities of formaldehyde to the paint previous to the analysis, were compared to the direct determinat ion of formaldehyde in a finger-paint without any fortification.