Use of chemical conversion for determination of nitrated aromatic hydrocarbons using femtosecond ionization mass spectrometry

Takuya Fujii; Tomoko Imasaka; Totaro Imasaka

doi:10.1016/j.aca.2017.09.049

Use of chemical conversion for determination of nitrated aromatic hydrocarbons using femtosecond ionization mass spectrometry

Anal Chim Acta. 2017 Dec 15:996:48-53. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2017.09.049. Epub 2017 Oct 17.

Authors

Takuya Fujii¹, Tomoko Imasaka², Totaro Imasaka³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
² Laboratory of Chemistry, Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka 815-8540, Japan.
³ Division of International Strategy, Center of Future Chemistry, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan. Electronic address: imasaka@cstf.kyushu-u.ac.jp.

PMID: 29137707
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2017.09.049

Abstract

A sample containing nitrated aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) was injected into the sample inlet port of a gas chromatograph (GC), along with hydrazine, a reducing reagent. The analytes that eluted from the GC column were measured by mass spectrometry (MS) using an ultraviolet femtosecond laser as the ionization source. When no reducing reagent was used, large numbers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including NPAHs were observed in the two-dimensional GC/MS display. In contrast, when hydrazine was present, reduced forms of NPAHs, which included amino PAHs, were detected. When a palladium or platinum catalyst was placed in the GC inlet port, the compounds were further reduced to non-aromatic hydrocarbons. The present approach would be useful for studies to evaluate the chemical reaction that converts the constituents contained in exhaust emitted from a diesel engine.

Keywords: Catalyst; Diesel exhaust; Femtosecond ionization mass spectrometry; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Reducing reagent.