Date of Award
12-1-2014
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Huff Hartz, Kara
Abstract
Particulate matter air pollution demonstrates adverse human health effect and is one of reasons for the climate change. Monoterpenes are a class of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are often present in household products. They can be produced by a variety of plants and belong to biogenic VOC (BVOC) class. Due to the fact that monoterpenes often contain one or more unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds, they can readily react with ozone, and some of the products form PM. In order to address the potential health problems caused by the use of household products, climate change, and health effects caused by BVOC emissions, an efficient, precise, accurate and environmental friendly analytical sampling and detection method needs to be developed. In this work, a dynamic solid phase microextraction (SPME) sampling method is coupled with gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectroscopy detection for both single monoterpene and complex monoterpene mixture analysis in the presence of ozone. Not only the effects of parameters such temperature, pressure and relative humidity need to be known, but also how the sampling time, flow rate, ozone concentration and monoterpene type affects this analysis method are needed. In consideration of the difference between reactive monoterpenes and nonreactive monoterpenes, several single monoterpenes were selected and smog chamber experiments were conducted. The precision of the sampling method at various sampling times, flow rates and ozone concentrations were compared for both single monoterpenes and monoterpenes mixture. The sampling flow rate had no significant effect on this SPME sampling method. On the contrary, the GC response did have noticeable change when the sampling time and the ozone concentration were varied. A radical scavenger study was conducted and the result indicated that radical scavenger did not have a significant effect on SPME fiber or the precision and accuracy of sampling method.
Access
This thesis is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.