Technical noteRapid and sensitive quantification of levoglucosan in aerosols by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPAEC-positive ESI-MS)

A convenient quantification method for underivatized levoglucosan, which is a tracer for biomass burning influenced particulate matter (PM), has been established using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) coupled to positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry ((+)ESI-MS). Levoglucosan was chromatographically separated from its isomers (mannosan and galactosan) and detected selectively with positive ESI-MS. Limits of detection and quantification for this method were 0.40 and 1.3 ng mL−1, respectively. A comparison of simultaneous measurements by this method and conventional derivatization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed a good linearity with a slope of 1.008 and a determination coefficient of 0.9932. The developed method was applied to ambient suspended particulate matter hourly collected by continuous particulate monitors at 10 stations. The hourly concentration of levoglucosan during August 9-11, 2011, was 1.7-918 ng m−3 and its distribution indicated the transportation of biomass burning aerosols of a forest fire. This is the first report of horizontal distribution of the hourly levoglucosan concentration in Japan.