Measurement
of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), peroxypropionyl nitrate (PPN)
and peroxymethacryloyl nitrate (MPAN) during TRACE-P.
Frank
Flocke and Andrew J. Weinheimer
National Center for Atmospheric Research
The instrument
is based on capillary gas chromatography with electron capture
detection. Through an array of fivw multi-port valves, a
common sampling loop (injection volume about 2 cm3 STP)
serves two independent, compact column ovens which are connected
to a common ECD detector. Each oven carries two wide-bore capillary
columns, one of which serves as a pre-separation device (the
other will hereafter be referred to as the main column). Helium
is used as a carrier gas, controlled by an array of four critical
orifices (Lennox Laser, Inc.) connected to a common back-pressure
control system (MKS). The back-pressure style setup avoids contact
of the carrier gas to the inner surfaces of pressure control
valves or mass flow controllers before entering the GC system.
Nitrogen is used as a make-up gas, back-pressure controlled in
the same fashion. The carrier gas flow rate typically is about
20 cm3/min STP, the make-up gas flow is less than
1 cm3/min STP. Samples are sequentially injected onto
each column. After the compound of interest with the longest
retention time has eluded from the pre-separation column, the
preseparation column is backflushed. This ensures that heavier
or more polar compounds are not transferred onto the main column,
thus allowing for rapid injection sequences by avoiding the elution
of potential contaminants during an analysis from the prior injection.
Each main column is connected to the ECD during the elution of
the compounds of interest. Appropriate flow resistors are employed
to avoid pressure pulses that would otherwise cause a baseline
response upon switching of the valves. The ECD and also all column
exhausts are fed into a pressure controlled volume at 800 torr.
This ensures a constant sensitivity of the ECD and stable retention
times, independent of changes in aircraft cabin pressure. The
carrier gas is humidified with about 100 ppmv water vapor by
means of a thermally controlled cartridge filled with analytical
grade CuSO4×6H2O.
This eliminates adverse effects of changing humidity levels in
the sampling air and also minimizes PAN losses in the columns
and connecting tubing between the multiport valves when very
dry air is sampled. All valves and connecting tubing, as well
as the sampling loop are situated in an insulated compartment
that is controlled to 23±0.2°C
by means of a thermoelectric heat exchanger system. This ensures
a constant sampling volume and minimizes baseline drifts and
changes in surface conditions in the tubing and valves that can
be caused by temperature fluctuations in the aircraft cabin. A
Shimadzu Mini-2 ECD, operated in constant-current mode, is used
for the detection of PAN. An extensively modified (in-house)
electrometer is used. The ECD frequency pulses are directly counted
for 200 ms periods with a frequency of four Hertz, providing
ample coverage for an eluding peak. All
peaks are fitted using the Levenberg - Marquardt method applying
Gaussian or exponentially modified Gaussian peak shapes. Based
on chromatograms that were taken in very clean air we estimate
an in-flight limit of detection (for all 3 species) that is better
than 5 pptv.