High Temperature Gas Chromatography with a Glass Capillary Column for the Analysis of High Molecular Weight Tracers in Smoke Samples from Biomass Burning

Abstract

A custom-made glass capillary column coated with OV-1701-OH (88% methyl, 7% cyanopropyl, 5% phenylpolysiloxane) was used to analyze smoke samples from biomass combustion of different species of plants collected in the Amazon forest. CS2 was used as solvent in order to enhance the dissolution and analysis of the heavier molecular weight components. The performance of the column was monitored during the experiments and a moderate increase in activity was observed after taking the column to high analytical temperatures (390°C). Trennzahl values typically dropped 20–30% from 1.7/m to the average of 1.35/m. In general, the performance of the custom-made column was satisfactory and comparable to the commercial high temperature columns. The high temperature high resolution GC and GC-MS analyses revealed the presence of a number of high molecular weight components reported to occur in smoke aerosols for the first time. These components consisted of series of wax esters (long chain alcohols esterified with long chain fatty acids) with up to 58 carbon numbers, aliphatic hydrocarbons, triglycerides, triterpenyl esters (e.g. α- and β-amyryl stearate). Although other types of compounds were also detected, their complete structure elucidation solely by electron impact MS was not adequate and other techniques will be required.