ABSTRACT
Many nitrosamines may contain other functional groups, instead of alkyl or aryl groups, such as alcohol. Nitrosamines or nitrosoamines are nitroso derivatives of amines in which a nitroso (NO) group is attached to the nitrogen atom of the amine. Nitrosamines are toxic compounds as well as potent animal and human carcinogens. These substances occur in trace quantities in tobacco smoke, meat products, and salted fish. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies some of these compounds as priority pollutants in industrial wastewater, potable water, and hazardous waste. In environmental analysis, the nitrosamines that are mostly determined are compounds of low molecular masses and are volatile under the gas chromatography (GC) conditions and therefore can be conveniently analyzed by GC. The separation of nitrosamines from various types of sample matrices described in the literature involves liquid–liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, supercritical fluid extraction using supercritical CO2, and low-temperature distillation techniques.
