ABSTRACT
Airborne dust is, in general, a complex mixture of inorganic and organic compounds. Therefore, characterization of organics in urban aerosols involves trace separation and identification by gas and high-pressure liquid chromatography, methods having sensitivity in the nanogram range. Gas chromatographic separation of organic extracts of airborne particles requires the application of preseparation steps, such as thin-layer chromatography or liquid – liquid extraction. Only the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons fraction undergoes gas chromatography on a packed column in isothermal conditions. To characterize the chemical properties of airborne particles, the use of compound-specific methods of analysis, such as infrared (IR) and Raman spectrometry or electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis is recommended, since the chemical behavior of the airborne particles is a function of compounds rather than elements. Della Fiorentina et al. describe an IR spectrometric method for the determination of the nonvolatile organic matter associated with airborne particles.
