Butylated Hydroxytoluene Lab Report
5. Discussion
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are synthetic antioxidants which are applied in fatty food to prevent oxidative deterioration. (Addis 1986) However, the use of these antioxidants at a high dosage can lead to health problem. Long-term exposure to high doses of BHT is toxic and can cause liver, thyroid and kidney problems and affect lung function and blood coagulation. Studies have also shown that BHT and BHA causes stomach and urinary bladder carcinogenesis in animals. (Botterweck et al. 2000) As inappropriate usage can result in serious health consequences, the amount and concentration of BHA and BHT used is legally limited. In Australia, up to 200 mg/kg of BHA and 100 mg/kg for BHT are permitted in edible oils and oil emulsions. (FSANZ 2012) In the experiment, the obtained …show more content…
(Clark 2007) A polar solvent, such as mixtures of water and methanol or acetonitrile is also used. Non-polar compound in the solution is attracted to the hydrocarbon group due to van der Waals dispersion forces. On the other hand, the attraction between the polar solvent and polar molecules in the mixture being passed through the column is strong. Hence, the retention time of polar molecules is shorter because they pass through the column faster. Reversed phase HPLC is the most commonly used form of HPLC which separate solutes based on non-polar differences.
In this experiment, reverse phase chromatography was used. The more polar antioxidant is expected to elute first due to the weak attraction to the non-polar column. Figure 2 below shows the structures of the two antioxidants. Both antioxidants contain a benzene ring and a hydroxyl group. However, BHA has an extra polar ether group. As a result, BHA is a more polar antioxidant compared to BHT and therefore elutes prior to
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are synthetic antioxidants which are applied in fatty food to prevent oxidative deterioration. (Addis 1986) However, the use of these antioxidants at a high dosage can lead to health problem. Long-term exposure to high doses of BHT is toxic and can cause liver, thyroid and kidney problems and affect lung function and blood coagulation. Studies have also shown that BHT and BHA causes stomach and urinary bladder carcinogenesis in animals. (Botterweck et al. 2000) As inappropriate usage can result in serious health consequences, the amount and concentration of BHA and BHT used is legally limited. In Australia, up to 200 mg/kg of BHA and 100 mg/kg for BHT are permitted in edible oils and oil emulsions. (FSANZ 2012) In the experiment, the obtained …show more content…
(Clark 2007) A polar solvent, such as mixtures of water and methanol or acetonitrile is also used. Non-polar compound in the solution is attracted to the hydrocarbon group due to van der Waals dispersion forces. On the other hand, the attraction between the polar solvent and polar molecules in the mixture being passed through the column is strong. Hence, the retention time of polar molecules is shorter because they pass through the column faster. Reversed phase HPLC is the most commonly used form of HPLC which separate solutes based on non-polar differences.
In this experiment, reverse phase chromatography was used. The more polar antioxidant is expected to elute first due to the weak attraction to the non-polar column. Figure 2 below shows the structures of the two antioxidants. Both antioxidants contain a benzene ring and a hydroxyl group. However, BHA has an extra polar ether group. As a result, BHA is a more polar antioxidant compared to BHT and therefore elutes prior to