Generation and validation of oxygenated volatile organic carbon standards for the 1995 Southern Oxidants Study Nashville Intensive

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research 1998-09, Vol.103 (D17), p.22
• Main Authors: Apel, E C, Calvert, J G, Greenberg, J P, Riemer, D, Zika, R, Kleindienst, T E, Lonneman, W A, Fung, K, Fujita, E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0148-0227

Two volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures were made available and utilized for the calibration of instruments and intercomparison exercises at the Youth, Inc. (YI) site during the Southern Oxidants Study Nashville Intensive. Cylinder 1 contained 14 components (three nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and 11 oxygen-containing VOCs (OVOCs)) and is referred to as OVOC1. Cylinder 2 contained four components (one NMHC and three OVOCs) and is referred to as OVOC2. The mixtures were prepared in high-pressure cylinders in the parts per million by volume (ppmv) range using calibrated syringe methods. Gas chromatographic (GC) and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) cartridge/high-pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) systems were utilized in the calibration of the cylinders. GC detectors included the flame ionization detector (FID) and atomic emission detector (AED). Results obtained with the GC/FID systems for OVOCs were adjusted in terms of the effective carbon number (ECN), obtained from literature values, to correct for the reduced response of the FID for compounds containing oxygen, relative to compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen. Cylinder concentrations were derived and compared based on the ECN-adjusted FID results, the AED results, and the DNPH cartridge results. The various methods employed agreed to within approximately 15 percent. Both cylinders were stable (+/- 4 percent) over a period of 2 yr. (Author)