EVALUATION OF THE VOLATILE ORGANIC CONTENTS IN AQUEOUS SAMPLES BY MI-QMS TECHNIQUE

A simple flow cell membrane inlet for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs ) was constructed and tested in our laboratory. The purpose of this st udy was to evaluate the performances of the Membrane Inlet-Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry technique for on-line analysis and continuous monito ring of various compounds from environmental samples. The method showe d a good linearity, precision, and reproductibility for some frequentl y used chemical solvents such as benzene, toluene, acetone, methanol, and ethanol. The method permits the determination of concentrations do wn to 0.04-4 mg m(-3), depending on the compounds. (C) 1998 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.