An improved method to determine PM-bound nitro-PAHs in ambient air

Recent analytical methods for atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives

“…Because the concentrations of NPAHs are very low in the atmosphere, a high‐volume air sampler (300–1000 L/min) is used for collecting airborne particulates such as PM 2.5 (Albinet, Leoz‐Garziandia, Budzinski, & Villenave, ; Hayakawa, ; Tang et al, ). Several higher‐level NPAHs (2‐nitrofluorene, 9‐nitroanthracene, 9‐nitrophenanthrene, 3‐nitrofluoranthene, 1‐nitropyrene, 2,7‐dinitrofluorene, 7‐nitrobenz[ a ]anthracene and 6‐nitrochrysene) in the atmosphere could be collected by using a low‐volume air sampler (38 L/min, 24 h) (Tutino, Di Gilio, Laricchiuta, Assennato, & de Gennaro, ). On the other hand, because the concentrations of PAHs are usually higher than those of their corresponding NPAHs (Hayakawa, ; Nassar et al, ; Tang et al, ), either low‐ or high‐volume air samplers can be used.…”

“…Toluene and methanol were also used to extract PAHs and OPAHs (Ahmed, Bergvall, Åberg, & Westerholm, ). By using a mixture of acetone–hexane (1 : 1 v /v), microwave extraction can extract 14 NPAHs (Tutino et al, ) and 12 NPAHs and four OPAHs (Chen et al, ). After liquid extraction, solid phase extraction with silica gel and/or C18 cartridges is usually used for clean‐up.…”

“…The analytical methods available for NPAHs in airborne particulates were limited to several chromatographic methods such as GC and HPLC as described in our previous report (Hayakawa, ). Among them, GC–MS with negative ion chemical ionization (GC/NICI‐MS) (Alves et al, ; Kawanaka et al, ; Ringuet, Albinet, Leoz‐Garziandia, Budzinski, & Villenave, ), GC–MS (Tutino et al, ) and HPLC‐chemiluminescence detection (HPLC‐CLD) (Hayakawa, Kitamura, Butoh, Imaizumi, & Miyazaki, ; Hayakawa, Noji, Tang, Toriba, & Kizu, ; Hayakawa et al, ; Tang et al, , ; Tang, Toriba, Kizu, & Hayakawa, ) (Figure ) were mostly used. By using the HPLC‐CLD method, we identified the environmental behaviors such as levels, compositions and main sources of NPAHs in cities located in the East Asian area (Tang, et al, ; Hayakawa et al, ).…”

Recent Advances for Polycyclic Aromatic Analysis in Airborne Particulate Matter

“…The method performance evaluation showed that the technique is quite reliable, since it provides high repeatability with relative standard deviation <10% and with detection limits between 0.25 and 10 ng/mL. This was also facilitated its application to only half of the filter containing the sample, in this way the remaining part served to complement the chemical characterization of the sample [50]. In the MRM mode, as the name implies, in the first quadrupole (Q1) one or multiple precursor ions of the analyzed substance were are filtered, which react by fragmenting in the collision cell (Q2), until arriving at the second quadrupole (Q3), where the ions product of the quantification and qualification are filtered.…”

“…In the MRM mode, as the name implies, in the first quadrupole (Q1) one or multiple precursor ions of the analyzed substance were are filtered, which react by fragmenting in the collision cell (Q2), until arriving at the second quadrupole (Q3), where the ions product of the quantification and qualification are filtered. The results of this type of analysis are highly specific and sensitive because they provide unique structural information of the molecule that leads to its identification and unambiguous distinction between other substances contained in the sample [50].…”