Abstract
This paper presents a method for the identification of polynuclear hydrocarbons in particulates suspending in urban air. The method consists of collection of suspended particulates by Hi-volume sampler, extraction of polynuclear compounds in them by means of vacuum sublimation, separation of the extract into each component by two-dimensional dual band thin-layer chromatography, solvent extraction of the each component and identification of the extracted solution by means of spectrofluorometry or spectrophotometry.
Suspended particulates from Kawasaki air were analysed by this method. The vacuum sublimation extract of the particulates was separated by the thin-layer chromatography into 76 fluorescent spots which corresponded to those of polynuclear hydrocarbons and their related compounds. Fifty-nine spots in these spots were analysed by spectrofluorometry and spectrophotometry, and 30 polynuclear hydrocarbons and 1 aza-heterocyclic hydrocarbon were identified. The identified compounds included the following 14 polynuclear hydrocarbons which were newly detected from urban air: 5, 12-dihydrotetracene, 13H-naphtho-(2, 3-b) fluorene, 11H-naphtho (2, 1-a) fluorene, indeno-(1, 2, 3-cd) pyrene, picene, tetracene, benzo (b) chrysene, tribenzo (a, c, j) tetracene, tribenzo (a, e, i) pyrene, dibenzo (a, i) pyrene, dibenzo (a, h) pyrene, benzo (g) chrysene, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7-hexahydrotriangulene and naphtho-(2, 3-k) fluoranthene. It was also proved that 12 active or suspected carcinogens were included in the air pollutants.
