Formaldehyde is used for
disinfections of industrially manufactured
products. However, it is detrimental to health and
its potential oncogenicity led to the current
utilization of a formaldehyde donor for long-term
preservation. Such donors are in hydrolytic
equilibrium with formaldehyde producing free
formaldehyde on exposure to moisture. This method
is used to quantify the free formaldehyde without
upsetting the existing equilibrium. Potential
interferences are either separated from
formaldehyde or they don’t react with the
post-column reagent. The lutidine derivative is
highly fluorescent resulting in ppm detection
levels.
