title: In-depth compositional analysis of water-soluble and -insoluble organic substances in fine (PM2.5) airborne particles using ultra-high-resolution 15T FT-ICR MS and GC×GC-TOFMS.
abstract: Airborne particulate matter consisting of ionic species, salts, heavy metals and carbonaceous material is one of the most serious environmental pollutants owing to its impacts on the environment and human health. Although elemental and organic carbon compounds are known to be major components of aerosols, information on the elemental composition of particulate matter remains limited because of the broad range of compounds involved and the limits of analytical instruments. In this study, we investigated water-soluble and -insoluble organic compounds in fine (PM2.5) airborne particles collected during winter in Korea to better understand the elemental compositions and distributions of these compounds. To collect ultra-high-resolution mass profiles, we analyzed water-soluble and -insoluble organic compounds, extracted with water and dichloromethane, respectively, using an ultra-high-resolution 15 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (15T FT-ICR) mass spectrometer in positive ion mode (via both electrospray ionization [ESI] and atmospheric pressure photoionization [APPI] for water-extracts and via APPI for dichloromethane-extracts). In conjunction with the FT-ICR mass spectrometry (MS) data, subsequent two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) data were used to identify potentially hazardous organic components, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This analysis provided information on the sources of ambient particles collected during winter season and partial evidence of contributions to the acidity of organic content in PM2.5particles. The compositional and structural features of water-soluble and -insoluble organic compounds from PM2.5particles are important for understanding the potential impacts of aerosol-carried organic substances on human health and global ecosystems in future toxicological studies.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Omics Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea; Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry and Advanced Instrumentation Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jijeong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Division of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sodam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry and Advanced Instrumentation Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jungju
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Engineering, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yung-Hun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Korea University, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Pil
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Pack
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry and Advanced Instrumentation Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: schoung@kbsi.re.kr.
authors.forename: Sungwook
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Choung
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Omics Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Republic of Korea; Division of Bio-Analytical Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ksjang@kbsi.re.kr.
authors.forename: Kyoung-Soon
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jang
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000032:analysis; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012621:Seasons; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D052638:Particulate Matter; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D002244:Carbon
keywords: Airborne particle; FT-ICR MS; Organic substance; PM(2.5); Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon