Laboratory evaluation of an aldehyde scrubber system specifically for the detection of acrolein.
We demonstrate the use of an aldehyde scrubber system to resolve isobaric aldehyde/alkene interferences in a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) by selectively removing the aldehydes from the gas mixture without loss of quantitative information for the alkene components. The aldehyde scrubber system uses a bisulfite solution, which scrubs carbonyl compounds from the gas stream by forming water-soluble carbonyl bisulfite addition products, and has been evaluated using a synthetic mixture of acrolein and isoprene. Trapping efficiencies of acrolein exceeded 97%, whereas the transmission efficiency of isoprene was better than 92%. Quantification of the PTR-MS response to acrolein was validated through an intercomparison study that included two derivatization methods, dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and O-(4-cyano-2-ethoxybenzyl)hydroxylamine (CNET), and a spectroscopic method using a quantum cascade laser infrared absorption spectroscopy (QCL) instrument. Finally, using cigarette smoke as a complex matrix, the acrolein content was assessed using the scrubber and compared with direct QCL-based detection.
Knighton
W Berk
WB
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA. bknighton@chemistry.montana.edu
Herndon
Scott C
SC
Shorter
Joanne H
JH
Miake-Lye
Richard C
RC
Zahniser
Mark S
MS
Akiyama
Kenichi
K
Shimono
Akio
A
Kitasaka
Kazuya
K
Shimajiri
Hatsumi
H
Sugihara
Koichi
K
D000171:Acrolein / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D000401:Aircraft; D002070:Butadienes / Q000737:chemistry; D045782:Hemiterpenes / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010420:Pentanes / Q000737:chemistry; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared; D013447:Sulfites / Q000737:chemistry; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis
D002070:Butadienes; D045782:Hemiterpenes; D010420:Pentanes; D013447:Sulfites; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; C005059:isoprene; D000171:Acrolein; C042345:hydrogen sulfite