title: Preoxidation for colorimetric sensor array detection of VOCs.
abstract: A disposable preoxidation technique that dramatically improves the detection and identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by a colorimetric sensor array is reported. Passing a vapor stream through a tube packed with chromic acid on silica immediately before the colorimetric sensor array substantially increases the sensitivity to less-reactive VOCs and improves the limits of detection (LODs) ~300-fold, permitting the detection, identification, and discrimination of 20 commonly found indoor VOC pollutants at both their immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) and permissible exposure limit (PEL) concentrations. The LODs of these pollutants were on average 1.4% of their respective PELs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Hengwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Minseok
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Kenneth S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Suslick
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry; D003124:Colorimetry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds