TRACE ANALYSIS OF SEMIVOLATILE ORGANIC AIR-POLLUTANTS USING THICK-FILM SILICONE-RUBBER TRAPS WITH CAPILLARY GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY

Established standard methods for analyzing semi-volatile pollutants by capillary gas chromatography are cumbersome, time-consuming, and expe nsive, With the longer term aim of replacing the sample preparation pr ocedures with convenient concentrating and thermal desorption steps, t hick film silicone rubber traps were constructed in a novel multi-chan nel configuration. Tests were performed to determine breakthrough volu mes and thermal desorption characteristics for total transfer of the t rap contents to a capillary column. Initial results are very promising .