Determination of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aerosol samples by high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

摘要

Fine and ultrafine particles are probably responsible for numerous health effects, but it is still unclear whether and to what extent the particle itself or organic compounds adsorbed or condensed on the particle are responsible for the effects observed. One important class of particle-bound substances are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their oxygenated derivatives. To improve the tools used for chemical characterization of particulate matter analytical methods for the determination of PAH and oxygenated PAH in aerosol samples of different origin have been developed and optimized. PAH on high-volume filters and on soot aerosols were analyzed by using accelerated solvent extraction for extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection for separation and quantification. Total PAH concentrations were in the range 0.3–9.3 ng m−3. For analysis of selected oxygenated PAH on high-volume filters a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric method was developed and optimized. Preliminary investigations showed that oxygenated PAH at pg m−3 concentrations can be determined.