Gas-liquid chromatographic analyses of 1,2-ethanediol monoethers and monoesters.

Synthetic mixtures of saturated and unsaturated monoethers and monoesters of 1,2-ethanediol, ranging in chain length from 12 to 20, were analyzed as acetates, trifluoroacetates (TFA), and trimethylsilyl (TMS) ethers by gas chromatography on polar and nonpolar liquid phases. Acetates, TFA derivatives, and TMS derivatives of the glycol ethers were eluted ahead of the corresponding glycol ester derivatives on both liquid phases. The elution order of derivatives of the same compound was found to be TMS derivative before TFA derivative before acetate on the polar liquid phase, and TFA derivative before TMS derivative before acetate on the nonpolar liquid phase. Elution orders relative to methyl stearate were also determined. With one exception, all of the derivatives, and both liquid phases, were found suitable for the quantitative analysis of diol monoethers and monoesters.