MethodsX (Dec 2023)
Assessment of quality of commercial hand sanitizers using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use and manufacture of alcohol-based hand sanitizers increased exponentially. Efficacy of hand sanitizers mainly depends on active ingredients like ethanol and isopropanol (IPA). Even though methanol is extremely hazardous to people, it is still illegally used in hand sanitizers in Bangladesh. Developing a quick and simple analytical method for detecting and quantifying ethanol/IPA/methanol is crucial. Here, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify and quantify alcohol content in commercially available hand sanitizers in a quick and easy way. Comparing the FTIR and GC data, provided quite similar results. Unlike previous studies by FTIR, C–H, CH3–C–CH3 stretching, and C–H bending vibrational modes were employed to construct analytical calibration curves to detect and quantify alcohol in hand sanitizers. According to FTIR and GC findings, ethanol and IPA content were found to be 43–82% and 40–69%, and 56–64% and 61–66%, respectively, whereas ethanol was labeled at 66–80% and IPA at 65–70%. FTIR and GC revealed methanol content ranging from 37 to 98 and 19 to 81%, respectively. Also, the FTIR was significantly faster than the GC. Therefore, FTIR can be used to commercially analyze the quality of hand sanitizers. • FTIR was used to identify and quantify alcohol content in commercially available hand sanitizers in a quick and easy way. • Comparing the FTIR and GC data, provided quite similar results. • Out of ten samples, five contained ethanol, three IPA, and two methanol.
