Development of a gas chromatographic/ion trap mass spectrometric method for the determination of levoglucosan and saccharidic compounds in atmospheric aerosols. Application to urban aerosols

• Published in: Journal of mass spectrometry 2002-12, Vol.37 (12), p.1249-1257
• Main Authors: Pashynska, Vlada, Vermeylen, Reinhilde, Vas, Gyorgy, Maenhaut, Willy, Claeys, Magda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols - analysis; Aerosols - chemistry; Air Pollutants - analysis; Applied sciences; atmospheric aerosols; Atmospheric pollution; biomass burning; Cities; Combustion and energy production; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Galactose - analogs & derivatives; Galactose - analysis; Galactose - chemistry; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods; gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; Glucose - analogs & derivatives; Glucose - analysis; Glucose - chemistry; ion trap; levoglucosan; Mannose - analogs & derivatives; Mannose - analysis; Mannose - chemistry; Monosaccharides - analysis; Monosaccharides - chemistry; organic carbon; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; saccharides; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 1076-5174; 1096-9888
• DOI: 10.1002/jms.391

We developed and validated a gas chromatographic/ion trap mass spectrometric method for the determination of levoglucosan and the related monosaccharide anhydrides, mannosan, galactosan and 1,6‐anhydro‐β‐D‐glucofuranose in urban atmospheric aerosols collected on quartz fiber filters. The method is based on extraction with dichloromethane–methanol (80 : 20, v/v), trimethylsilylation, multiple reaction monitoring in the tandem mass spectrometric mode using the ion at m/z 217, and the use of an internal standard calibration procedure with the structurally related compound methyl β‐L‐arabinopyranoside. In addition, the method allows the quantification of other saccharidic compounds, arabitol, mannitol, glucose, fructose, inositol and sucrose, which were found to be important in summer aerosols. The recovery of levoglucosan was estimated by spiking blank filters and was better than 90%. The precision evaluated by analyzing parts of the same filters was about 2% for the monosaccharide anhydrides and 7% for the other saccharidic compounds in the case of a winter aerosol sample, and the corresponding values for a summer aerosol sample were 5% and 8%. The method was applied to urban PM10 (particulate matter of