1,1-Spectrophotometric Determination of Trace Amounts of Dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) in Micellar Media

1,1-Dimethylhydrazine (unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, UDMH) is one of the hydrazine derivatives that is mainly used as a high-energy fuel in military applications as a rocket propellant and as a fuel for thrusters, and small electrical power generating units. 1,1-Dimethylhydrazine is volatile and toxic, and is readily absorbed by oral, dermal or inhalation routes of exposure. Because of the environmental and toxicological significance of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, sensitive and reliable analytical methods are necessary for determination of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine in samples. In this paper, a new spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine is described. The method is based on the reaction of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine with p-nitrobenzaldehyde in micellar media. The optimal reaction conditions were studied and the analytical characteristics of the method were obtained. The method allowed the determination of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine at concentration between 0.40 – 6.0 mg.mL-1 with detection Limit (DL) of 0.1mg.mL-1 and relative standard deviation of 1.45%, respectively. Under working conditions, the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine in water samples.