Coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone) occurs as a natural component in some plants, and is utilized as a flavoring ingredient in some foods, tobaccos and cosmetic products. In recent years, coumarin has been added to electronic cigarette liquid nicotine solutions as a flavoring component, producing a complex flavor profile with aromas of vanilla, almond, cherry and cinnamon. Coumarin has been found to exhibit hepatoxic effects, and has been banned by the FDA in food products, but this ban does not extend to tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes.
This application note details a method for the analysis of coumarin in electronic cigarette liquid nicotine cartridges, utilizing PerkinElmer UHPLC system coupled to a QSight® 220 triple quadrupole mass detector with a dual ionization source.