title: Measurement of individual particle atomic composition by aerosol mass spectrometry.
abstract: Advances in instrumentation used for particle compositional analysis have enabled real-time identification and classification of individual particles. However, precise quantitation of individual particle compositions has been elusive. Here, we demonstrate that real-time quantitative single-particle compositional analysis is possible. This is illustrated for individual particles of sodium chloride (70 nm), ammonium sulfate (70 nm), and silica (40-2000 nm) using a real-time aerosol mass spectrometer. Atomic fractions for major components (> 1% concentration) of individual multicomponent particles have been measured within +/-20% accuracy. Trace element detection limits of 20 ppm are also demonstrated when individual particle compositions are ensemble averaged.
authors.affiliation: Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974, USA.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Reents
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schabel
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000737:chemistry*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D000645:Ammonium Sulfate / Q000032:analysis; D004867:Equipment Design; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D000645:Ammonium Sulfate