Identification of 2-nitrofluorene in diesel exhaust particulates

Diesel exhaust particulates contain mutagens which are direct-acting in the Ames test. A dichloromethane extract of these particulates was separated by liquid chromatography and analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). 2-Nitrofluorene, a known carcinogen and direct mutagen, was positively identified by comaxima of ion fragments and retention time on the gas chromatograph.