An application of ion chromatography exclusion (ICE-method) to the determination of carboxylic acid concentration in rain water was examined.
It was found that the ICE-method was suitable for rapid and simultaneous determination of five carboxylic acids (formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid and glutaric acid). But, as the ICE-method was unsuitable for the determination of oxalic acid and malonic acid for poor separation, these acid were carried out by normal ion chromatography.
The carboxylic acids in rain water were completely decomposed for several days at room temperature, but, these were stable for three months or above when the samples were spiked with CHCl
3 or HgCl
2.
The method established in this study was applied to the analysis of rain water collected in Nara City in a period from June, 1985 to May, 1986. The annual mean concentration of the carboxylic acids turned out to be as follows: 0.181μg, /m
l for formic acid, 0.112 for acetic acid, 0.004 for propionic acid, 0.018 for oxalic acid, 0.007 for malonic acid, 0.010 for succinic acid and 0.005 for glutaric acid.
The annual mean percentage of concentration of hydrogen-ion concentration yield from the carboxylic acids to the hydrogen-ion concentration in rain water was established to be 3.89% for formic acid, 0.59% for acetic acid and 4. 94% for the total carboxylic acids.
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