Safe Sampling Volume determinations of 12 volatile organic compounds on Carboxen 1003, Carbopack-X & Tenax-TA

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A Vol. 1626; p. 461369
• Main Authors: Butterfield, David M, Lipscombe, Robert P, Gardiner, Tom D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 30.08.2020
• Subjects: Ambient air; Indoor air; Pumped sampling; Safe sampling volume; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile organic compounds; Pumped sampling; Safe sampling volume; Ambient air; Indoor air
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461369

•Safe Sampling Volumes determined for 15 VOC / sorbent combinations: Aldehydes (C5, C6, C8, C9), Ketones (C4, C6), Alcohols (C3, C4), Furan, Limonene, Isoprene & Ethyl Acetate on Carboxen 1003, Carbopack-X & Tenax-TA.•Unsuitable VOC / sorbent combinations: Furan on Carbopack-X, Isovaleraldehyde on Tenax TA & Methyl Ethyl Ketone on Tenax TA. Pumped sorbent tube sampling is a well established method for the sampling of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in ambient, indoor and workplace atmospheres1. Safe sampling volumes and breakthrough volumes have been published for commonly found VOCs on widely used sorbents such as Tenax, however for newer sorbents and less commonly found VOCs there is less robust data. The Safe Sampling Volumes (SSVs) were determined from 15 tests of Retention Volume on 12 VOCs across the 3 sorbents. VOCs tested were: Aldehydes (C5, C6, C8, C9), Ketones (C4, C6), Alcohols (C3, C4), Furan, Limonene, Isoprene and Ethyl Acetate. 12 VOC / sorbent combinations gave SSVs large enough for practical sampling of indoor atmospheres, while SSVs for Furan on Carbopack-X, Isovaleraldehyde on Tenax TA and Methyl Ethyl Ketone on Tenax TA gave SSVs that were too small to be of practical use. This work identifies suitable sorbents and sampling volumes for the complete range of species tested.