Quantification of furandiones in ambient aerosol

Publication date: March 2017
Source:Atmospheric Environment, Volume 153
Author(s): Ibrahim M. Al-Naiema, Hannah M. Roppo, Elizabeth A. Stone
Furandiones are products of the photooxidation of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC), like toluene, and contribute to secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Because few molecular tracers of anthropogenic SOA are used to assess this source in ambient aerosol, developing a quantification method for furandiones holds a great importance. In this study, we developed a direct and highly sensitive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the quantitative analysis of furandiones in fine particulate matter that is mainly free from interference by structurally-related dicarboxylic acids. Our application of this method in Iowa City, IA provides the first ambient measurements of four furandiones: 2,5-furandione, 3-methyl-2,5-furandione, dihydro-2,5-furandione, and dihydro-3-methyl-2,5-furandione. Furandiones were detected in all collected samples with a daily average concentration of 9.1 ± 3.8 ng m⁻³. The developed method allows for the accurate measurement of the furandiones concentrations in ambient aerosol, which will support future evaluation of these compounds as tracers for anthropogenic SOA and assessment of their potential health impacts.

Graphical abstract

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