Badjagbo Koffi, Picard Pierre, Moore Serge, Sauvé Sébastien
Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2009 May;20(5):829-36. doi: 10.1016/j.jasms.2008.12.021. Epub 2009 Jan 7.
Real-time monitoring of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in ambient air is essential for the early warning detection associated with the release of these hazardous chemicals and in estimating the potential exposure risks to humans and the environment. We have developed a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) method for continuous real-time determination of ambient trace levels of BTEX. The technique is based on the sampling of air via an atmospheric pressure inlet directly into the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) source. The method is linear over four orders of magnitude, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.996. Low limits of detection in the range 1-2 microg/m(3) are achieved for BTEX. The reliability of the method was confirmed through the evaluation of quality parameters such as repeatability and reproducibility (relative standard deviation below 8% and 10%, respectively) and accuracy (over 95%). The applicability of this method to real-world samples was evaluated through measurements of BTEX levels in real ambient air samples and results were compared with a reference GC-FID method. This direct APCI-MS/MS method is suitable for real-time analysis of BTEX in ambient air during regulation surveys as well as for the monitoring of industrial processes or emergency situations.
对环境空气中苯、甲苯、乙苯和二甲苯（BTEX）进行实时监测，对于这些危险化学品释放的预警检测以及评估对人类和环境的潜在暴露风险至关重要。我们开发了一种串联质谱（MS/MS）方法，用于连续实时测定环境中痕量水平的BTEX。该技术基于通过大气压进样口将空气直接采样到大气压化学电离（APCI）源中。该方法在四个数量级上呈线性，相关系数大于0.996。BTEX的检测下限低至1-2微克/立方米。通过评估重复性和再现性（相对标准偏差分别低于8%和10%）以及准确性（超过95%）等质量参数，证实了该方法的可靠性。通过测量实际环境空气样品中的BTEX水平评估了该方法对实际样品的适用性，并将结果与参考气相色谱 - 火焰离子化检测（GC-FID）方法进行了比较。这种直接APCI-MS/MS方法适用于监管调查期间环境空气中BTEX的实时分析，以及工业过程或紧急情况的监测。
