Analysis of atmospheric ammonia and particulate ammonium by a sensitive fluorescence method

Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es00173a013· OSTI ID:6770761

Rapsomanikis, S; Wake, M; Kitto, A M.N.; Harrison, R M

A sensitive fluorescence method for the analysis of atmospheric ammoniaand particulate ammonium is described. The fluorescence of the ammonium-o-phthalaldehyde moiety is utilized in a flow injection system to effect a limit of detection of 204 ng m/sup -3/ (3sigma) for atmospheric ammonia and 27 ng m/sup -3/ (3sigma) for particulate ammonium in 3-h air samples collected respectively on H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/-impregnated Whatman 41 and Teflon filters in a filter pack at 10 L min/sup -1/. The limit of detection for NH/sub 3/ may be reduced to 78 ng m/sup -3/ (3sigma) by use of H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/-impregnated nylon filters. An intercomparison with the indophenol blue method is also described together with collection efficiencies on different impregnated filters. The analytical procedure is applicable also to ammonia collected by a denuder coated with phosphorus acid, with the detection limit of 450 ng m/sup -3/ (3sigma) for a 3-h sample. A comparison of the filter-pack and denuder sampling methods indicated a small degree of evaporation of ammonium salt aerosol in the filter pack, leading to slight overestimation of ammonia concentrations. Ammonium aerosol concentrations measured by the two techniques were virtually identical since the superior inlet characteristics of the filter-pack sampler compensated for evaporative losses of ammonium salts.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Essex, Colchester (England)
• OSTI ID: 6770761
• Journal Information: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Environ. Sci. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 22:8; ISSN ESTHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
AMMONIA
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVAPORATION
FLUORESCENCE
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LUMINESCENCE
MEASURING METHODS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POLLUTION