Determination of 2,4,6-triiodoresorcinol and other side reaction products and intermediates in the colour additive FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine) using high-performance liquid chromatography

An HPLC method was developed for the quantitative determination of 2,4,6-triiodoresorcinol (I3R), 2-(2′,4′-dihydroxy-3′,5′-diiodobenzoyl)benzoic acid, resorcinol, phthalic acid, and sodium iodide in the colour additive FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine) (R3). Due to the fast decomposition of I3R in aqueous solutions, the dye portions analysed were dissolved in methanol and the determinations were performed in the freshly-made solutions. The HPLC method is rapid (50 min total analysis cycle, ∼16 min to detect I3R and the other intermediates), simple to implement, and generates only small amounts of solvent waste. It was found to be applicable for use in routine batch-certification as shown by the analysis of test portions from 24 lots of R3 submitted for US-certification by domestic and foreign manufacturers during the past three years. * Presented at the 230th ACS National Meeting, Washington DC, 28 August-1 September 2005.