Characterisation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in atmospheric aerosols by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry Original Research Article

An accurate and reliable method for determining polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric aerosols is described. This optimised gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method permits a wide range of concentrations to be analysed without the influence of interferences. Pre-treatment comparison of four kinds of aerosol collector filters determined that quartz and glass fibre filters were the most suitable. Solvents like cyclohexane, toluene, acetonitrile and dichloromethane were evaluated for their PAH-extraction capacity. Ultrasonic extraction using CH2Cl2 was selected because it is rapid and easy; moreover, this solvent increases the sample-throughput capacity. PAH compounds were quantitatively collected and ultrasonically extracted twice using 15 mL of CH2Cl2 for 15 min for each replicate. Rotavapor concentration, fractionation and dissolution were also optimised. A certified standard mixture (16 EPA PAHs), a deuterated compound and precision recovery assays were used for validating the proposed methodology. Adequate analytical parameters were obtained. Detection limits were (1.6–26.3) × 10−5 ng and quantification limits were (5.2–87.6) × 10−5 ng. Analysis of the environmental samples detected 4-10 EPA list PAH compounds. In addition, 2–11 tentative compounds were found, and their molecular structures were described for the first time. Our study of both Youden method and the standard addition method has shown that the proposed determination of PAHs in environmental samples is free of systematic errors. In conclusion, this unbiased methodology improves the identification and quantification of PAH compounds. High sensitivity as well as acceptable detection and quantification limits were obtained for the environmental applications.