Abstract
In 1975, aerosols were collected with high-volume-samplers and impactors on the west coast of Ireland. The ether extractable organic material (EEOM) was separated into three main fractions: bases (B), acids (A), and neutral compounds (N). Each fraction is a very complex mixture of numerous species. Detailed investigations were carried out on these three main fractions. The individual species were determined quantitatively by gas chromatography. Qualitative identification was done by combined GC-MS.
The concentration of total particulate matter (TPM) was in the range of 10 μg/m3 (STP) air and the concentration of EEOM was ≈1 μg/m3. The relative composition of the EEOM with regard to the main fractions A, B, and N was N>A>B — the same as in previous measurements. Particles with radii <1 μm were investigated separately and showed an enrichment in organic matter.
A comparison of individual species from several sample locations is now possible for then-paraffins C10 to C28. The concentrations of all thesen-paraffins are below 10 ng/m3, with no overall obvious preference for specific compounds and no obvious dependence on particle size above or below 1 μm radius.
A preliminary survey does not show any characteristic differences in the relative composition of the organic constituents of clean air aerosols from different sampling localities. The relative composition with regard to the three main fractions is rather uniform in clean air samples and in samples from polluted regions.
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References
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Ketseridis, G., Eichmann, R. Organic compounds in aerosol samples. PAGEOPH 116, 274–282 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01636884
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01636884