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Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Fizzy Extraction of Volatile Organic Compounds Combined with Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry
Published on: July 14, 2017
Method for characterization of low molecular weight organic acids in atmospheric aerosols using ion chromatography
Lacey C Brent1, Jessica L Reiner, Russell R Dickerson
1Materials Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States.
Abstract:
The structural composition of PM2.5 monitored in the atmosphere is usually divided by the analysis of organic carbon, black (also called elemental) carbon, and inorganic salts. The characterization of the chemical composition of aerosols represents a significant challenge to analysts, and studies are frequently limited to determination of aerosol bulk properties. To better understand the potential health effects and combined interactions of components in aerosols, a variety of measurement techniques for individual analytes in PM2.5 need to be implemented. The method developed here for the measurement of organic acids achieves class separation of aliphatic monoacids, aliphatic diacids, aromatic acids, and polyacids. The selective ion monitoring capability of a triple quadropole mass analyzer was frequently capable of overcoming instances of incomplete separations. Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1649b Urban Dust was characterized; 34 organic acids were qualitatively identified, and 6 organic acids were quantified.
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