Determination of 123 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives in atmospheric samples

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of toxic organic pollutants. Until now, they have been detected in many regions and various environmental matrix. However, not all PAHs are usually detected by researchers, and no methods is established to analyze systematically hundreds of PAHs. In this study, 123 PAHs were identified and quantified using gas chromatography-tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), which were divided into 3 groups: 32 regular PAHs (R-PAHs), 50 methyl-PAHs (Me-PAHs), 30 Nitro-PAHs (N-PAHs) and 11 hydroxyl-PAHs (OH-PAHs). The developed method was applied to detect the target PAHs in 6 marine gaseous samples and 6 particulate samples collected on board the research vessel Snow Dragon. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were determined from 0.009 to 2.50 and 0.03-8.33 pg/m³, respectively. Recoveries of the internal standards in atmosphere were from 88% to 112%, 70%-104%, and 72%-102% for R-PAHs、Me-PAHs、N-PAHs and OH-PAHs, respectively, which showed the reliability of the experimental method. The total concentrations of 123 PAHs in marine air and particle samples were from 1532 to 7877 and 206-1022 pg/m³, respectively.