title: Identification of 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-diisobutyl succinonitrile in laser printer emissions.
abstract: 2,3-Dimethyl-2,3-diisobutyl succinonitrile was identified as the main volatile organic compound (>90%) emitted from laser printers during the printing process. Experiments were carried out in a large environmental chamber of 30 m3, where the printers were placed and working simulating 'real office setting' conditions. Air samples were taken on Tenax TA adsorbent cartridges in the vicinity of the printers and further analyzed by thermal desorption gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TDGC/MS). The structure of the compound has been determined and is presented in this study. Additional data obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) support the proposed structure, with no reported CAS number, as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-diisobutyl succinonitrile. It is a byproduct of the thermal decomposition of 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethyl valeronitrile), a commercially available free radical polymerization initiator used in polymerization processes during the manufacture of the toners. By means of head-space GC/MS, 15 toners used in black & white and colour printers have been investigated. Six of them contained 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-diisobutyl succinonitrile, which has also been detected in the respective processed paper.
authors.affiliation: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Physical and Chemical Exposure Unit, Via Enrico Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy. josefa.barrero-moreno@jrc.it
authors.forename: Josefa M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Barrero-Moreno
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tirendi
authors.forename: Fabiano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reniero
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kotzias
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D016287:Computer Peripherals; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D007281:Ink; D007834:Lasers; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D009570:Nitriles / Q000032:analysis*; D011327:Printing / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D009570:Nitriles; C010337:succinonitrile