Title: Determination of Vinyl Acetate Monomer in Polyvinyl Acetate for Gum Base by GC
Abstract: Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) has been used in many countries as a masticatory substance in chewing gum base. A method was developed for the determination of residual vinyl acetate monomer (VAcM) in PVAc for chewing gum base. PVAc (2.5g) was dissolved in toluene and the prepared solution was injected into a gas chromatograph equipped with a capillary column coated with DB-1 (0.32mm i. d.×30m, 5μm film thickness) and an FID. The calibration curve of VAcM showed a good linear correlation (r=0.9998) in the range of 0.19μg/mL-9.6μg/mL. The method was applied to determine VAcM in 12 PVAc samples for chewing gum base. Residual VAcM was found in 6 samples (3-12μg/g). In addition, acetic acid (a raw material) was detected in all samples, and isopropanol and ethyl actate, which are solvents used in the production, were detected in 10 samples.