GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC SCREENING OF ORGANIC-COMPOUNDS IN URBAN AEROSOLS - SELECTIVITY EFFECTS IN SEMIPOLAR COLUMNS

A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric study of aerosols collected in Barcelona allowed the identification of the major sources of airborne organic matter in an urban environment. The extracts were separated by column chromatography into three fractions encompassing aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons plus semi-polar compounds and polar products. The overall procedure allowed the identification of 108 molecular species that were grouped according to their precursors. The study also allowed the characterization of significant changes in the elution order of linear and polycyclic molecules of similar retention using different semi-polar capillary columns such as DB-5, SE-52, CP-Sil 8 CB, SE-54 and HP-5.