A Simple Fluorophotometer for Airborne Formaldehyde Determination

Abstract

A novel, simple, and small synchronous fluorescence and absorbance device in conjunction with a homemade passive gas sampler for the determination of formaldehyde in ambient air is described. A purple-blue light LED is used as light source, and two perpendicular photoresistors are applied to measure absorbance and fluorescence, respectively. An absorbing reagent, which consisted of a 2,4-pentanedione, ammonium acetate, and acetic acid solution, is enclosed in the sampler and used to collect and react with airborne formaldehyde. The reaction product, yellow 3,5-diacetyl-1, 4-dihydrolutidine, is then detected by the synchronous fluorescence and absorbance detectors. The light intensity is inversely proportional to the resistance of the photoresistor. The proposed device has been successfully applied to the determination of formaldehyde at various sites.

On-line monitoring of formaldehyde in air by cataluminescence-based gas sensor

“…Various methods are available for the determination of formaldehyde including electrochemistry [2][3][4][5], high performance liquid chromatography [6][7][8], gas chromatography [9], spectrometry [10][11][12][13][14][15], chemiluminescence [16][17][18][19], fluorometry [20][21][22][23], kinetics [24], mass spectrometry [25,26], etc. The primary course for the determination of formaldehyde in air involves (1) collecting air samples through sampling tubes, (2) desorbing the samples with solvents from the sampling tubes, and (3) determining formaldehyde in the liquids.…”

Surface Plasmon-Enhanced Optical Formaldehyde Sensor Based on CdSe@ZnS Quantum Dots

“…As a “probable human carcinogen”, formaldehyde has become a serious threat to human health and environment. , When exposed to formaldehyde in low concentrations for a long time, people may feel uncomfortable with accompanying headache, chronic dermatitis, or respiratory disorders, because of the irritation of formaldehyde to the skin and the respiratory tract. − The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified formaldehyde as “carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)” . A number of methods such as electrochemistry, gas chromatography, spectrophotometry, colorimetry, and fluorometry have been proposed for detecting the concentration of gaseous formaldehyde. − However, these reported methods for formaldehyde detection (e.g., electrochemistry, gas chromatography, chemiluminescence, and so forth) mainly rely on relatively expensive instruments and strict experimental conditions. − Colorimetric or fluorometric methods for formaldehyde detection are commonly limited by the long detection time and complex operation. − Although some new materials (e.g., nitrogen-enriched graphene QDs) were proposed for formaldehyde detection, the detection still needs to be done in a liquid environment . Thus, a rapid, sensitive, and highly convenient formaldehyde detection method is urgently needed for detecting or monitoring formaldehyde in the atmosphere.…”