title: Gas chromatography-optical fiber detector for the speciation of aromatic hydrocarbons in confined areas.
abstract: An analytical method, based on separation with gas chromatography (GC) and detection with optical fiber (OF), was used for the separation, detection and quantification of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, m-xylene and o-xylene. The use of OF as a detector is based on the variations of the reflected optical power detected when the aromatic compounds eluted from the GC column are sorbed in a thin polymeric film on a single-mode OF. General figures of merit, such as the analytical time, analytical error and analytical performance of GC-OF were similar to those of the classical analytical methods, such as a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). However, the developed GC-OF method constitutes a much less expensive alternative for the speciation of aromatic hydrocarbons compounds, with high accuracy, and being most suitable for actual monitoring work on confined environments.
authors.affiliation: ISEIT/VISEU-Instituto Piaget, Estrada do Alto do Gaio, Galifonge, 3515-776 Lordosa, Viseu, Portugal. lisilva@ua.pt
authors.forename: Lurdes I B
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Teresa A P
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rocha-Santos
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Duarte
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001554:Benzene / Q000032:analysis; D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D014050:Toluene / Q000032:analysis; D014992:Xylenes / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D014992:Xylenes; D014050:Toluene; C031286:4-xylene; D001554:Benzene; C004912:ethylbenzene; C031285:3-xylene; C026114:2-xylene