Mass-spectrometric study of nitro-PAHS (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Final report

Technical Report · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:5736055

Korfmacher, W A

Nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) have been detected in diesel exhaust, urban air particulate matter, commercial carbon black, and photocopier toners. Nitro-PAHs are a human health concern because some of them are known to be potent bacterial mutagens and to be carcinogenic in experimental animals. Analytical methods for nitro-PAHs have included high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography (GC) with various detectors, GC/mass spectrometry (MS) operated in the positive ion election impact (EI) mode and in the negative-ion chemical ionization (NICI) mode (6,16). In addition, analysis of nitro-PAHs by high resolution MS and MS/MS have been reported. An alternative mode of MS ionization is negative-ion atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (NIAPIMS). NIAPIMS responds selectively to compounds that have a high electron affinity. Because nitrocompounds have a high electron affinity, they are a class of chemicals well suited for NIAPIMS analysis. Mitchum and Korfmacher have reported on the NIAPIMS of several nitro-PAHs using a Finnigan 4000 GC/NIAPIMS system. Recently, analysis of nitro-PAHs by NIAPIMS/MS has been reported by Fulford and co-workers using a TAGA 6000 instrument. In the report, the initial results of the GC/NIAPIMS analyses of several PAHs are described. These results suggest that the NIAPIMS system provides an alternative method of analysis for nitro-PAHs and offers the advantage of greater selectivity than is found in the conventional (electron-impact ionization) GC/MS mode.

• Research Organization: National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5736055
• Report Number(s): PB-86-150828/XAB; NCTR-6234
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
AIR POLLUTION
AROMATICS
CARBON
CARBON BLACK
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHROMATOGRAPHY
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
GAS ANALYSIS
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
HYDROCARBONS
IONS
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MUTAGENS
NITRO COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
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POLLUTION
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
PUBLIC HEALTH
SAFETY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROSCOPY