Selective Fluorescence Detection of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Other Airborne Particles

An analytical method is described for the simultaneous quantitation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pAHs] and alkylderivatives [alkyl-PAHs] in "real world" samples using microbore reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with two programmable fluorescence detectors. Sensitivity and selectivity were enhanced by analyzing PAHs under their optimum fluorescence wavelengths. The accuracy of the analytical method was evaluated by determination of PAHs in 5 mg of standard reference material SRM 1649. The method was also successfilly employed to analyze major parent PAHs and some alkyl-PAHs from environmental tobacco smoke [ETS] with a sample size of 2 mg using class-selective fluorescence wavelengths. Some alkyl-PAHs were tentatively identified even in the absence of standard compounds. Coeluting pairs were identified and analyzed by careful selection of excitation and emission wavelengths for each compound. Identities of the signals were confirmed by comparing both the retention behavior and the peak-height ratios at two or more different excitation and emission wavelength combinations.