Design and use of a collector for the in situ isolation of particulate trace organic species in precipitation

Abstract

Extracts of particulate organic matter were examined for discrete rainfall events from metropolitan Los Angeles, California, using an in situ filtration technique. Filtration efficiency was 98 % for the collection of extractable organic C associated with particles having nominal diameters greater than 0m22 μm Organic background levels of less than 260 ng per sample were determined. Rainwater particle samples were extracted with repeated hexane and benzene: isopropanol (2: 1) solvent additions using ultrasonic agitation. Extract mixtures were quantified by high-resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) and were adjusted for component losses with perdeuterated recovery standards. Yields for the neutral fractions ranged from 130 to 669 μg with flux rates corresponding to 371 to 1097μg m^(−2) day^(−1). Aliquots of the neutral solvent extracts were derivatized with diazomethane to convert acidic hydroxy and carboxylic acid groups to the respective methyl ether and methyl ester analogs. This step produced increased yields of 8 to 188 %, and resulted in yields for the acid +neutral extracts that ranged from 374 to 8681μg with flux rates of 591 to 2343 μg m^(−2) day^(−1). Source identification was conducted by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HRGC/MS) analyses. Molecular analyses indicated major anthropogenic contributions from petroleum and combustion sources, and for some samples, the significant input of microbial lipid components as well. Minor amounts of vascular plant waxes were also present in most cases. These mixed inputs of both anthropogenic and biogenic materials compared closely with previous source determinations for carbonaceous aerosol particles in the Los Angeles air basin.

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