title: Determination of alcohol compounds using corona discharge ion mobility spectrometry.
abstract: Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a very fast, highly sensitive, and inexpensive technique, it permits efficient monitoring of volatile organic compounds like alcohols. In this article, positive ion mobility spectra for six alcohol organic compounds have been systematically studied for the first time using a high-resolution IMS apparatus equipped with a discharge ionization source. Utilizing protonated water cluster ions (H2O)n H+ as the reactant ions and clean air as the drift gas, alcohol organic compounds, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol and 2-octanol, all exhibit product ion characteristic peaks in their respective ion mobility spectrometry, that is a result of proton transfer reactions between the alcohols and reaction ions (H2O)n H+. The mixture of these alcohols, including two isomers, has been detected, and the results showed that they could be distinguished effectively in the ion mobility spectrum. The reduced mobility values have been determined, which are in very well agreement with the traditional 63Ni-IMS experimental values. The exponential dilution method was used to calibrate the alcohol concentrations, and a detection limit available for the alcohols is in order of magnitude of a few ng/L.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Spectroscopy and Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China. hanhy0226@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Hai-yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Guo-dong
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Shun-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Pei-chao
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Guo-hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jian-quan
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hong-mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yan-nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000438:Alcohols / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D009532:Nickel; D011868:Radioisotopes; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000438:Alcohols; D011868:Radioisotopes; D009532:Nickel