Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Composition and Distribution Analysis of Bioaerosols Under Different Environmental Conditions
Published on: January 7, 2019
Spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and ozone formation potentials of volatile organic compounds from
Hao Luo1, Guiying Li1, Jiangyao Chen1
1Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Background:
Ozone is currently one of the most important air pollutants. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can easily react with atmospheric radicals to form ozone. In-field measurement of VOCs may help in estimating the local VOC photochemical pollution level.
Method:
This study examined the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of VOCs during winter at three typical sites of varying classification in China; industrial (Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District (GETDD)), urban (Guangzhou higher education mega center (HEMC)), and rural (Pingyuan county (PYC)), using Proton-Transfer-Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS).
Results:
The concentrations of total VOCs (TVOCs) at the GETDD, HEMC and PYC sites were 352.5, 129.2 and 75.1 ppb, respectively. The dominant category of VOCs is nitrogen-containing VOCs (NVOCs, accounting for 43.3% of TVOCs) at GETDD, of which C4H11N (m/z+ = 74.10, butyl amine) was the predominant chemical species (80.5%). In contrast, oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) were the most abundant at HEMC and PYC, accounting for 60.2% and 64.1% of the total VOCs, respectively; here, CH4O (m/z+ = 33.026, methanol) was the major compound, accounting for 40.5% of the VOCs at HEMC and 50.9% at PYC. The ratios of toluene to benzene (T/B) were calculated for different measured sites, as the ratios of T/B can reveal source resolution of aromatic VOCs. The average contributions to total ozone formation potentials (OFP) of the total measured VOCs in each area were 604.9, 315.9 and 111.7 μg/m3 at GETDD, HEMC and PYC, respectively; the highest OFP contributors of the identified VOCs were aliphatic hydrocarbons (AlHs) at GETDD, aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs) at HEMC, and OVOCs at PYC.
Conclusions:
OFP assessment indicated that the photochemical pollution caused by VOCs at GETDD was serious, and was also significant in the HEMC region. The dominant VOC OFP groups (AlHs and AHs) should be prioritized for control, in order to help reduce these effects.
Related Concept Videos
01:46Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes: Ozonolysis
Ozone is a symmetrical bent molecule stabilized by a resonance structure.
02:08Introduction to Functional Groups
Functional groups are group of atoms with specific chemical properties that occur within organic molecules and sometimes denoted as “R”. Functional groups are found along the carbon backbone of macromolecules can form chains or rings of carbon atoms. Functional groups can “functionalize” a compound by enabling it to adopt different physical and chemical properties.
Types of common functional groups
The table below summarizes some of the major functional groups in organic chemistry....
02:17What is Organic Chemistry?
01:25Aromatic Compounds: Overview
In 1825, Faraday isolated...
01:31Chemical Factors Affecting Respiration Centers
CO2 has a potent influence on respiration and is strictly regulated....