Determination of Vitamin E in Multivitamin Products by Gas-Liquid Chromatography

The determination of vitamin E in multivitamin preparations has presented considerable analytical problems. Reports on the gas-liquid chromatography of this vitamin have shown that a linear response with concentration can be obtained. This investigation deals primarily with the quantitative analysis of alpha-tocopheryl acetate utilizing a hydrogen-flame detector. The influence of gas flow rates on detector response and retention times is demonstrated. The conditions for the assay of vitamin E in multivitamin preparations are outlined. A suitable internal standard employed in this study was dotriacontane. The precision of the proposed procedure under the conditions studied is ± 2–3 percent.