Determination of Levoglucosan in Atmospheric Fine Particulate Matter

• Published in: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995) 2004-06, Vol.54 (6), p.689-694
• Main Authors: Simpson, Christopher D., Dills, Russell L., Katz, Bethany S., Kalman, David A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Airborne particulates; Applied sciences; Chromatography; Emissions; Exact sciences and technology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Glucose - analogs & derivatives; Glucose - analysis; Outdoor air quality; Pollution; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
• ISSN: 1096-2247; 2162-2906
• DOI: 10.1080/10473289.2004.10470945

A microanalytical method suitable for the quantitative determination of the sugar anhydride levoglucosan in low-volume samples of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM) has been developed and validated. The method incorporates two sugar anhydrides as quality control standards. The recovery standard sedoheptulosan (2,7-anhydro-β-D-altro-heptulopyranose) in 20 μL solvent is added onto samples of the atmospheric fine PM and aged for 1 hr before ultrasonic extraction with ethylacetate/ triethylamine. The extract is reduced in volume, an internal standard is added (1,5-anhydro-D-mannitol), and a portion of the extract is derivatized with 10% by volume N-trimethylsilylimidazole. The derivatized extract is analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The recovery of levoglucosan using this procedure was 69 ± 6% from five filters amended with 2 μg levoglu-cosan, and the reproducibility of the assay is 9%. The limit of detection is ∼0.1 μg/mL, which is equivalent to ∼3.5 ng/m 3 for a 10 L/min sampler or ∼8.7 ng/m 3 for a 4 L/min personal sampler (assuming 24-hr integrated samples). We demonstrated that levoglucosan concentrations in collocated samples (expressed as ng/m 3 ) were identical irrespective of whether samples were collected by PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm or PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm impactors. It was also demonstrated that X-ray fluorescence analysis of samples of atmospheric PM, before levoglucosan determinations, did not alter the levels of levoglucosan.