E. Kivietelatalo et al., ANALYSIS OF VOLATILE ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS IN AIR USING RETENTION INDEXESTOGETHER WITH A SIMPLE THERMAL-DESORPTION AND COLD TRAP METHOD, Journal of chromatography, 787(1-2), 1997, pp. 205-214
A simple, low-cost thermal desorption and cold trap device was constru
cted and tested with a two-channel gas chromatograph equipped with SE-
54 fused-silica capillary columns or a Al2O3/KCl column and flame ioni
zation, nitrogen-phosphorus or electron-capture detectors. Good repeat
ability was obtained in the identification of ten aromatic compounds,
with use of n-alkanes as index compounds for the determination of rete
ntion indices. The performance of the equipment and method with real s
amples was evaluated for the determination of volatile halogenated com
pounds and small alcohols in urban air, and for the determination of N
,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in air nearby a chemical plant. A collectio
n method was developed for highly volatile halogenated hydrocarbons an
d small polar alcohols. At ambient temperature they were not easily tr
apped completely and humidity was a problem. Drying tubes were needed
in front of the sampling tubes, which were placed inside copper tubes
refrigerated in a cold box. Compounds were reliably identified, and so
me of the halogenated compounds and DMF were determined quantitatively
. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.