Measurement of hydroxy carbonyls and other carbonyls in ambient air using pentafluorobenzyl alcohol as a chemical ionization reagent

Hydroxy carbonyls and other carbonyls were measured in air by sampling with impingers filled with an aqueous solution of O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA), further reacting the PFBHA derivatives of hydroxy carbonyls with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), and detecting the derivatives with gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry. Molecular weight determinations of ultratrace (pptv) levels of the derivatives in the presence of coeluting interferences was made possible by using pentafluorobenzyl alcohol (PFBOH) as a chemical ionization reagent. Methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, methylglyoxal, glycolaldehyde, and hydroxyacetone were identified in air collected in Azusa, CA. Methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, methylglyoxal, hydroxyacetone, glyoxal, and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone were identified in samples collected in Davis, CA. To our knowledge, this is the first report of hydroxyacetone and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone in the ambient atmosphere. This work is a significa...