Articles | Volume 12, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4779-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4779-2019
Research article
 | 
06 Sep 2019
Research article |  | 06 Sep 2019

Determination of n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and hopanes in atmospheric aerosol: evaluation and comparison of thermal desorption GC-MS and solvent extraction GC-MS approaches

Meng Wang, Ru-Jin Huang, Junji Cao, Wenting Dai, Jiamao Zhou, Chunshui Lin, Haiyan Ni, Jing Duan, Ting Wang, Yang Chen, Yongjie Li, Qi Chen, Imad El Haddad, and Thorsten Hoffmann

Related authors

Differentiation of primary and secondary marine organic aerosol with machine learning
Baihua Chen, Lu Lei, Emmanuel Chevassus, Wei Xu, Ling Zhen, Haobin Zhong, Lin Wang, Chunshui Lin, Ru-Jin Huang, Darius Ceburnis, Colin O'Dowd, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1415,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1415, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Measurement report: Formation and brownness of aqueous secondary organic aerosol from the aged biomass-burning emissions in the Sichuan Basin, China
Chao Peng, Yan Ding, Zhenliang Li, Tianyu Zhai, Xinping Yang, Mi Tian, Yang Chen, Xin Long, Haohui Tang, Guangming Shi, Liuyi Zhang, Kangyin Zhang, Fumo Yang, and Chongzhi Zhai
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-101,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-101, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Marine organic aerosol at Mace Head: effects from phytoplankton and source region variability
Emmanuel Chevassus, Kirsten N. Fossum, Darius Ceburnis, Lu Lei, Chunshui Lin, Wei Xu, Colin O'Dowd, and Jurgita Ovadnevaite
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4107–4129, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4107-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4107-2025, 2025
Short summary
Gas-Ice Partitioning Coefficients of Carbonyls during Diffusional Ice Crystal Growth
Jackson Seymore, Miklós Szakáll, Alexander Theis, Subir K. Mitra, Christine Borchers, and Thorsten Hoffmann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1425,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1425, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Mechanistic insights into chloroacetic acid production from atmospheric multiphase volatile organic compound–chlorine chemistry
Mingxue Li, Men Xia, Chunshui Lin, Yifan Jiang, Weihang Sun, Yurun Wang, Yingnan Zhang, Maoxia He, and Tao Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3753–3764, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3753-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3753-2025, 2025
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Aerosols | Technique: Laboratory Measurement | Topic: Validation and Intercomparisons
An interlaboratory comparison to quantify oxidative potential measurement in aerosol particles: challenges and recommendations for harmonisation
Pamela A. Dominutti, Jean-Luc Jaffrezo, Anouk Marsal, Takoua Mhadhbi, Rhabira Elazzouzi, Camille Rak, Fabrizia Cavalli, Jean-Philippe Putaud, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Despina Paraskevopoulou, Ian Mudway, Athanasios Nenes, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, Catherine Banach, Steven J. Campbell, Hana Cigánková, Daniele Contini, Greg Evans, Maria Georgopoulou, Manuella Ghanem, Drew A. Glencross, Maria Rachele Guascito, Hartmut Herrmann, Saima Iram, Maja Jovanović, Milena Jovašević-Stojanović, Markus Kalberer, Ingeborg M. Kooter, Suzanne E. Paulson, Anil Patel, Esperanza Perdrix, Maria Chiara Pietrogrande, Pavel Mikuška, Jean-Jacques Sauvain, Katerina Seitanidi, Pourya Shahpoury, Eduardo J. d. S. Souza, Sarah Steimer, Svetlana Stevanovic, Guillaume Suarez, P. S. Ganesh Subramanian, Battist Utinger, Marloes F. van Os, Vishal Verma, Xing Wang, Rodney J. Weber, Yuhan Yang, Xavier Querol, Gerard Hoek, Roy M. Harrison, and Gaëlle Uzu
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 177–195, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-177-2025, 2025
Short summary
Quantifying the uncertainties in thermal–optical analysis of carbonaceous aircraft engine emissions: an interlaboratory study
Timothy A. Sipkens, Joel C. Corbin, Brett Smith, Stéphanie Gagné, Prem Lobo, Benjamin T. Brem, Mark P. Johnson, and Gregory J. Smallwood
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4291–4302, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4291-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4291-2024, 2024
Short summary
Pressure-dependent performance of two CEN-specified condensation particle counters
Paulus S. Bauer, Dorian Spät, Martina Eisenhut, Andreas Gattringer, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 4445–4460, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4445-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4445-2023, 2023
Short summary
Characterisation of a self-sustained, water-based condensation particle counter for aircraft cruising pressure level operation
Patrick Weber, Oliver F. Bischof, Benedikt Fischer, Marcel Berg, Susanne Hering, Steven Spielman, Gregory Lewis, Andreas Petzold, and Ulrich Bundke
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3505–3514, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3505-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3505-2023, 2023
Short summary
Importance of size representation and morphology in modelling optical properties of black carbon: comparison between laboratory measurements and model simulations
Baseerat Romshoo, Mira Pöhlker, Alfred Wiedensohler, Sascha Pfeifer, Jorge Saturno, Andreas Nowak, Krzysztof Ciupek, Paul Quincey, Konstantina Vasilatou, Michaela N. Ess, Maria Gini, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Chris Robins, François Gaie-Levrel, and Thomas Müller
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 6965–6989, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6965-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-6965-2022, 2022
Short summary

Cited articles

Alves, C., Pio, C., and Duarte, A.: Composition of extractable organic matter of air particles from rural and urban Portuguese areas, Atmos. Environ., 35, 5485–5496, 2001. 
Bartlett, J. W. and Frost, C.: Reliability, repeatability and reproducibility: analysis of measurement errors in continuous variables, Ultrasound. Obst. Gyn., 31, 466–475, https://doi.org/10.1002/uog.5256, 2008. 
Cao, J., Xu, H., Xu, Q., Chen, B., and Kan, H.: Fine particulate matter constituents and cardiopulmonary mortality in a heavily polluted Chinese city, Environ. Health Perspect., 120, 373–378, https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1103671, 2012. 
Chan, A. W. H., Isaacman, G., Wilson, K. R., Worton, D. R., Ruehl, C. R., Nah, T., Gentner, D. R., Dallmann, T. R., Kirchstetter, T. W., Harley, R. A., Gilman, J. B., Kuster, W. C., de Gouw, J. A., Offenberg, J. H., Kleindienst, T. E., Lin, Y. H., Rubitschun, C. L., Surratt, J. D., Hayes, P. L., Jimenez, J. L., and Goldstein, A. H.: Detailed chemical characterization of unresolved complex mixtures in atmospheric organics: Insights into emission sources, atmospheric processing, and secondary organic aerosol formation, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 6783–6796, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50533, 2013. 
Chan, C. K. and Yao, X.: Air pollution in mega cities in China, Atmos. Environ., 42, 1–42, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2007.09.003, 2008. 
Download
Short summary
The analytical performances of SE-GC-MS and TD-GC-MS for the determination of n-alkanes, PAHs and hopanes were evaluated and compared. The two methods show a good agreement with a high correlation efficient (R2 > 0.98) and a slope close to unity. The concentrations of n-alkanes, PAHs and hopanes are found to be much higher in Beijing than those in Chengdu, Shanghai and Guangzhou, most likely due to emissions from coal combustion for wintertime heating in Beijing.
Share