COMPARISON OF CAPILLARY ZONE ELECTROPHORESIS WITH ION CHROMATOGRAPHY AND STANDARD PHOTOMETRIC METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF INORGANIC ANIONS IN ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS

The capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), ion chromatography and photometric techniques were compared for the analysis of nitrate and sulphate in high-volume sampled atmospheric aerosols. The CZE method with indirect UV detection utilizing a pyromellitate-based electrolyte was used. The comparative evaluation included response stability of instruments, detection limits, accuracy, precision, analysis time and other operational considerations. Statistical analysis of the results indicated that there was no evidence for systematic differences between the three techniques. The results suggest that CZE can be applied very advantageously in an anion analysis in atmospheric aerosols.