Rapid and sensitive quantification of levoglucosan in aerosols by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPAEC-positive ESI-MS)

• Published in: Atmospheric environment (1994) Vol. 122; pp. 183 - 187
• Main Authors: Asakawa, Daichi, Furuichi, Yuko, Yamamoto, Atsushi, Oku, Yuichiro, Funasaka, Kunihiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2015
• Subjects: Anhydrosugars; Atmospheric aerosols; Biomass burning; Levoglucosan; Positive ESI-MS; INW, Japan; Levoglucosan; Positive ESI-MS; Anhydrosugars; Biomass burning; Atmospheric aerosols
• ISSN: 1352-2310; 1873-2844
• DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.09.045

A convenient quantification method for underivatized levoglucosan, which is a tracer for biomass burning influenced particulate matter (PM), has been established using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) coupled to positive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry ((+)ESI-MS). Levoglucosan was chromatographically separated from its isomers (mannosan and galactosan) and detected selectively with positive ESI-MS. Limits of detection and quantification for this method were 0.40 and 1.3 ng mL−1, respectively. A comparison of simultaneous measurements by this method and conventional derivatization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed a good linearity with a slope of 1.008 and a determination coefficient of 0.9932. The developed method was applied to ambient suspended particulate matter hourly collected by continuous particulate monitors at 10 stations. The hourly concentration of levoglucosan during August 9–11, 2011, was 1.7–918 ng m−3 and its distribution indicated the transportation of biomass burning aerosols of a forest fire. This is the first report of horizontal distribution of the hourly levoglucosan concentration in Japan.