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Abstract
Ultrasonic extraction followed by reverse phase HPLC separation and fluorescence detection were used in rapid analysis of ten polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in very small samples (50–100 mg) of ambient aerosols extracted for 10 min with 8 ml of acetonitrile. Filtered extracts were injected directly into the HPLC system without further fractionation. Fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths were fixed at 250 nm and 370 nm, respectively. Gradient elution was carried out with acetonitrile (MeCN):water (40% to 100% MeCN in 20 min, held at 100% MeCN for another 5 min) at 0.9 ml/min. Precision and accuracy were determined by analysis of the NBS standard reference material no. 1649 (Urban Dust/Organic). The method was used in the analysis of PAHs in tunnel and atmospheric aerosols. The detection limit is 20 pg for benzo(a)pyrene. For the five NBS certified PAHs (fluoranthene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(ghi)perylene and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene), measurement accuracy ranges from 1 to 15%. Precision was under 10% for all ten PAHs studied.