Determination of Airborne Semi-Volatile Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Partitioning-Type Extraction Device Packed with Octadecyl-Derivatized Macroporous Silica

Abstract

A novel method for the determination of semi-volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in gaseous samples was developed using a partition-based extraction device. The target compounds were collected and concentrated on the basis of partitioning between air and octadecyl (C₁₈) chains bound to macroporous silica particles. The extracted PAHs were rapidly desorbed by just passing 10 mL of acetone. The desorption solvent was then subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine PAHs. On the basis of the quantitative evaluation of the extraction and desorption conditions for 15 PAHs, the benefits of the partition-based extraction for typical airborne PAHs were clearly indicated. Finally, the developed method was successfully applied for the determination of PAHs in tobacco side-stream smoke.