Analysis of organic substances and trace elements in aerosol samples using Fourier transform infra-red and total reflection X-ray fluorescence methods, initial experiments

The aim of this study was to find a way to analyze trace elements as well as organic functional groups in the same aerosol sample. Size segregated aerosol particles were produced under laboratory conditions. The particles contained known amounts of inorganic and organic compounds and were analyzed using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy for their inorganic and organic content, respectively. A linear relation was obtained between the inorganic content from the TXRF analysis and specific organic functional groups evaluated by FTIR, although a transfer of the sample from quartz plates to zincselenide plates was necessary. The linear relation can be used for quantification of organic functional groups of other aerosol samples. Further improvements and possible applications of the combined techniques are discussed.