Published:Journal of Chromatographic Science,
ISSN 0021-9665Volume
40, Number 4, April, pp. 207-213
Determination of Aromatic Acids and Nitrophenols in Atmospheric
Aerosols by Capillary Electrophoresis
Jochen Rudolph and Jacek
Stupak
Department of Chemistry, Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry, York University, 4700
Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
A capillary zone electrophoresis method is developed for the
determination of aromatic organic acids and nitrophenols in atmospheric aerosols.
The procedure is based on sampling atmospheric particulate matter on quartz
fiber filters and the extraction and analysis of the extracts by capillary electrophoresis.
Separation conditions are optimized by varying the pH and acetonitrile content
of the electrolyte buffer. Separations in a 20% acetonitrile–20mM borate
mixture (pH 9.9) are able to resolve all of the geometric isomers of hydroxybenzoic
acid, phthalic acid, benzenetricarboxylic acid, and nitrophenol as well as 1,2,4,5-benzenetricarboxylic
acid, m-toluic acid, and sulfosalicylic acid. A buffer consisting of 11% acetonitrile–20mM
borate (pH 9.9) is found to be most suitable for the analysis of atmospheric
aerosol samples. Detection limits are in the order of 40 to 130 ng/mL. Intersample
migration time reproducibility is generally better than 1.5%, with day-to-day
variations under 3%. A general extraction scheme using diethyl ether–HCl
in combination with a preconcentration step is developed. Recoveries of spiked
standards range from 59% to 102%, with relative standard deviations ranging
from 2% to 17% for five determinations. The method is applied towards the analysis
of ambient aerosol samples as well as vehicle emission studies with promising
results, thus showing it to be a potential complement to already existing methodology
for the analysis of organic acids and nitrophenols in atmospheric aerosols.
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