Sub-parts-per-billion determination of nitro-substituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particulate matter and soil by electron capture-Tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

A procedure for the determination of nitro-substiruted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAH) on crude air-particulate and soil extracts is introduced. Elimination of purification and fractionation procedures was made possible by the use of both a selective ionization method, such as electron-capture chemical ionization, and a specific fragmentation process, in an experiment of tandem mass spectrometry (gas chromatography-electron capture tandem mass spectrometry). Different mass spectrometric procedures were compared. The best performance was observed when the nitro-PAH molecular ions [M](-) were mass-selected by the first analyzer under multiple reaction monitoring conditions and then fragmented to NO 2 (-) (m/z 46). Detection limits were on the order of hundreds of femtograms, as determined in extracts of real environmental samples. This corresponds approximately to 5-15 pg of nitro-PAH per cubic meter of air sampled. Calibration curves were linear over 3 orders of magnitude. Applications to contamination from motor vehicle combustion and the iron industry are briefly discussed.

Analysis of nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by liquid chromatography with fluorescence and mass spectrometry detection: air particulate matter, soot, and reaction product studies

“…In those studies, however, only 1-9 compounds were separated and detected. Significantly lower LOD have been achieved only by HPLC with chemiluminescence detection [21] and gas chromatography-electron capture-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-EC-MS/MS) [47]. Table 4 lists the nitro-PAH recovery rates of the overall analytical procedure (extraction, clean-up, and HPLC analysis) applied to spiked spark discharge soot samples (70-90% for the 12 measured compounds) and from standard diesel soot samples (80-90% for the four compounds listed in the original NIST Certificate of Analysis).…”

Occurrence, behavior and removal of typical substituted and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a biological wastewater treatment plant

“…Besides the similar sources to PAHs, NPAHs and OPAHs can also be formed from PAHs by photo-chemical oxidation in atmosphere with NO x , O 3 and OH (Bamford and Baker, 2003;Wang et al, 2007;Kojima et al, 2010), and OPAHs from biological transformation in soil with white rot fungi (Lundstedt et al, 2007;Haritash and Kaushik, 2009), respectively. Previous studies mainly focused on the pollution levels of SPAHs in the atmospheric and soil environment (Vincenti et al, 1996;Niederer, 1998;Lundstedt et al, 2007;Di Filippo et al, 2010). Our recent study demonstrated that WWTP effluent contributed 62e93% PAHs and SPAHs (dissolved and absorbed phase) of the total input to the receiving rivers (Qiao et al).…”

Simultaneous determination of typical substituted and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water and solid matrix by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

“…It has been well established that NPAHs are a kind of direct mutagenic and potential carcinogenic pollutant existing in the atmosphere [11,12]. Thus, a large number of studies on the analysis, distribution and sources of SPAHs in the atmosphere and soil had been conducted concerning their possible exposure risk [4,7,[13][14][15]. SPAHs are thought to enter the water environment through precipitation, atmospheric sedimentation and surface runoff.…”