Determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes in air by solid phase micro-extraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The aim of the study was to analyse BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) in air by solid phase micro-extraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME/GC/MS), and this article presents the features of the calibration method proposed. Examples of real-world air analysis are gi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2004-11, Vol.380 (5-6), p.824-830
Main Authors: Tumbiolo, Simonetta, Gal, Jean-François, Maria, Pierre-Charles, Zerbinati, Orfeo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollutants - analysis
Benzene - analysis
Benzene Derivatives - analysis
Calibration
Environmental Monitoring
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry - methods
Time Factors
Toluene - analysis
Xylenes - analysis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The aim of the study was to analyse BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes) in air by solid phase micro-extraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME/GC/MS), and this article presents the features of the calibration method proposed. Examples of real-world air analysis are given. Standard gaseous mixtures of BTEX in air were generated by dynamic dilution. SPME sampling was carried out under non-equilibrium conditions using a Carboxen/PDMS fibre exposed for 30 min to standard gas mixtures or to ambient air. The behaviour of the analytical response was studied from 0 to 65 microg/m3 by adding increasing amounts of BTEX to the air matrix. Detection limits range from 0.05 to 0.1 microg/m3 for benzene, depending on the fibre. Inter-fibre relative standard deviations (reproducibility) are larger than 18%, although the repeatability for an individual fibre is better than 10%. Therefore, each fibre should be considered to be a particular sampling device, and characterised individually depending on the required accuracy. Sampling indoor and outdoor air by SPME appears to be a suitable short-delay diagnostic method for volatile organic compounds, taking advantage of short sampling time and simplicity.
ISSN:1618-2642
1618-2650
DOI:10.1007/s00216-004-2837-1