Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of volatile organic compounds in an urban atmosphere.

Polysorbimide and carbochrome, new sorbents with high temperature stability, have been used to concentrate trace amounts of atmospheric pollutants, and 136 C1-C13 organic compounds, including 126 hydrocarbons, 6 oxygen derivatives and 3 chlorides, were identified in air samples collected in the streets of Leningrad. One of the major features of the composition of the organic constituents of the urban air sampled is the presence of a number of CnH2n hydrocarbons (mainly olefins), and also CnH2n-2 and CnH2n-4 unsaturated hydrocarbons (including alpha-pinene and camphene). A comparison of the results with those of similar studies carried out on air samples from Zürich, Houston and Paris is of considerable interest in connection with the possible effect of geographical factors on the composition and lifetime of organic pollutants in the atmosphere.