RAPID PAH DETERMINATION IN URBAN PARTICULATE AIR SAMPLES BY HPLC WITH FLUOROMETRIC DETECTION AND PROGRAMMED EXCITATION AND EMISSION WAVELENGTH PAIRS

A method for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by high-performance liquid chromatography using a fluorometric detector is proposed. A Hypersil Green PAH column and a program of nine excitation and emission wavelength pairs are used as a detection system. The mobile phase is a linear gradient of acetonitrile-water. The relative standard deviations are in the range of 1—10% at concentration levels of 0.02—0.6 ng/L (n = 3). The detection limits are between 0.012 pg/μL for fluoranthene and 0.45 pg/μL for naphthalene. The method is applied to the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in particulate air samples from Madrid; a high volume sampler is used. The determination does not require a cleanup step because of the high selectivity and sensitivity of the proposed method. The results are compared with those obtained by gas chromatography using EPA Method TO-13. © 1995, Oxford University Press.