<title>Ambient pressure REMPI monitoring of acetaldehyde production during the breakdown of ethyl-3-ethoxypropionate (EEP)</title>

Abstract

The production of acetaldehyde was monitored during the simulated atmospheric oxidation of ethyl-3-ethoxyproprionate (EEP), a paint component. The detection of acetaldehyde in ambient pressure air to below 1 ppbv levels was demonstrated using resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) via the two photon resonant 3 s implied by n Rydberg transition at 363.5 nm. The reactions were carried out at room temperature in 100 L FEP Teflon bags while the air was continuously pumped through a parallel plate REMPI cell. Banks of black lights and sun lights provided UV radiation in the 300-450 nm region to simulate atmospheric photocatalysis by the sun. The REMPI measurements confirmed previous GC/MS and FTIR measurements but in real-time with higher sensitivity. The technique can be directly applied to the detection of atmospheric pollutants and real-time monitoring of manufacturing processes.