Determination of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic compounds in airborne particulate organic matter using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

O-PAHs have been analyzed in extracts of particulate matter by GC-MS-MS and GC-MS. Using GC-MS, most O-PAHs could not be detected in raw extracts, or their confirmation was uncertain due to interfering compounds from the matrix. Detection and quantification was greatly improved by using GC-MS-MS. Linearity was observed in the range from 10 to 1000 pg injected. Low traces of O-PAHs, in the range of a few pg·m−3 of air, could be detected without purification or fractionation of the extract.