AAAR 31st Annual Conference
October 8-12, 2012
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
One-Pot Derivatization Methods for Obtaining Functional Group Distributions of Aerosol Constituents
ALICIA KALAFUT-PETTIBONE, W. Sean McGivern, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Abstract Number: 722 Working Group: Aerosol Chemistry
Abstract Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) are formed through gas-phase oxidation and condensation of volatile organic compounds, followed by additional reactions in the condensed phase. The chemical analysis of the complex reaction mixtures commonly found in SOAs has proven difficult and time-consuming. LC-MS/MS is commonly used for screening of unknown compounds in water or sediment matrices, although it is rarely applied to the analysis of atmospheric aerosol constituents due to the fact that ionization is problematic for many volatile organic compounds. Here we present a methodology for the rapid determination of approximate functional group distributions using LC-UV and LC-MS/MS techniques. We have developed simple and effective one-pot derivatization methods adapted from biochemical and gas-phase applications which increase sensitivity to the analytes of interest. These methods are designed to probe carboxylic acid, hydroxyl, and carbonyl groups, and are conducive for analysis of aerosol filter extracts.