Solid Phase Microextraction/Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fine Aerosol in Beijing

An enhanced analytical procedure was developed to identify and quantify 16 EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fine aerosol by solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). In the procedure, the target compounds were first enriched using dichloromethane, then the analyte were extracted by 100-μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fiber at 60 °C in an ultrasonication instrument and lasted for 30 min. Under the optimized multiple reaction monitoring conditions, the method recovery was in the range of 56.8%–106.0% and the limits of detection were in the range of 0.022–0.056 ng m−3. The total 16 PAHs concentrations were 290–1812 ng m−3 in fine aerosols in 1−15th January in 2013 (Beijing), wherein tetracyclic ring had the maximum concentrations (144.6–936.6 ng m−3), followed by pentacyclic ring (81.1–664.5 ng m−3). Additionally, the compounds with higher concentration were fluoranthrene, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, chrysene, enzo(a)pyrene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)anthracene and phenanthrene in turn, which indicated that the main emission sources were fossil fuel burning and motor vehicle.

An enhanced analytical procedure to quantify 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fine aerosol was developed by solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Results showed that the concentrations of tetraacyclic ring PAHs were predominant, followed by pentacyclic ring, which mainly came from fossil fuel burning and motor vehicle emission.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide