Identification and quantification of volatile organic compounds using systematic single-ion chromatograms

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:516775

Tsuchiya, Yoshio; Kanabus-Kaminska, J M ^[1]

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1. National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada). Inst. for Research in Construction

In order to determine the background level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Canadian indoor air, a method of identification and quantification at a level of 0.3 {micro}g/m{sup 3} using systematic single-ion chromatograms (SICs) has been developed. The compounds selected for measurement included several halogenated compounds, oxygen compounds, terpenes, and C8 to C16 n-alkanes. Air samples were taken in 3-layered sorbent tubes and trapped compounds were thermally desorbed into the helium stream of a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) analytical system. Total quantities of volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) were measured using a flame ionization detector (FID). Individual compounds were analyzed by a GC/MS. For the identification of compounds in the main stream GC effluent, both the specific GC retention and mass spectra were used. About 50 selected SICs were routinely extracted from a total ion chromatogram (TIC) to detect and quantify compounds. For each compound, a single representative ion was selected. The specific retention was calculated from the elution time on the SIC. For quantification, ion counts under a peak in the SIC were measured. The single-ion MS response factor for some of the compounds was experimentally determined using a dynamic reference procedure.

• OSTI ID: 516775
• Report Number(s): CONF-9404330--; ISBN 0-8031-2048-6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ALKANES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
TERPENES