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Results for “Volatile Organic Compounds”

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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Purge-and-trap capillary gas chromatography with atomic emission detection for volatile halogenated organic compounds determination in waters and beverages.

A method for the simultaneous determination of 10 volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOCs), including four trihalomethanes (THMs), in waters and beverages was developed. The analytes were stripped from the aqueous sample by a flow of helium, preconcentrated in a capillary trap and thermally desorbed using a purge-and-trap (PT) system. This was followed by capillary gas chromatography with microwave-induced plasma atomic emission spectrometry (GC-AED). For element-specific detection, three wavelengths were monitored, corresponding to chlorine (479 nm), bromine (478 nm) and iodine (193 nm). Each chromatographic run took 21 min, including the purge time. After careful choice of the experimental conditions, the performance of the system was evaluated. Calibration curves were obtained by plotting peak area versus concentration and the correlation coefficients for linear calibration were at least 0.9987. Detection limits, calculated for 5 ml sample volume, ranged from 0.05 microg l(-1) for chloroform to 0.5 microg l(-1) for tetrachloromethane. The method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of water samples of different origin and also of several beer and juice samples. The tap water samples analyzed contain variable concentrations of the four trihalomethanes, ranging from 1.0 to 66.5 microg l(-1), depending of the compound. Whereas chloroform, bromodichloromethane and bromoform were found in some of the juice samples, only chloroform was detected in the beer samples. The method is reliable and can be used for routine monitoring in water and beverages.

Beverages↗

PubMed2002

Measuring and modelling VOC biotransformation rates.

A new protocol was used to determine biotransformation rate coefficients for volatile organic compounds in activated sludge systems. The values obtained from the protocol were compared to biotransformation rates obtained from a pilot plant. It was seen that biotransformation rates were easier to obtain from the protocol. Observations also showed that acclimation of the microorganisms to the volatile organic compounds did not change the biotransformation rates. The experimental conditions were then modelled using TOXCHEM+, a mechanistic model to predict volatile organic compound behaviour. The TOXCHEM+ predictions, using system default biotransformation rates, compared favourably with the low biotransformation rates measured by the protocol for bromoform and the chlorinated compounds, while under predicting the biotransformation rates for the non-chlorinated volatile organic compounds.

Biotransformation↗

PubMed2001

A method for measuring vapor pressures of low-volatility organic aerosol compounds using a thermal desorption particle beam mass spectrometer.

A temperature-programmed thermal desorption method for measuring vapor pressures of low-volatility organic aerosol compounds has been developed. The technique employs a thermal desorption particle beam mass spectrometer we have recently developed for real-time composition analysis of organic aerosols. Particles are size selected using a differential mobility analyzer, sampled into a high-vacuum chamber as an aerodynamically focused beam, collected by impaction on a cryogenically cooled surface, slowly vaporized by resistive heating, and analyzed in a quadrupole mass spectrometer. A simple evaporation model developed from the kinetic theory of gases is used to calculate compound vapor pressures over the temperature range of evaporation. The data are fit to a Clausius-Clapeyron equation to obtain a relationship between vapor pressure and temperature and to determine the heat of vaporization. The technique has been evaluated using C13-C18 monocarboxylic and C6-C8 dicarboxylic acids, which have vapor pressures at 25 degrees C of approximately 10(-4) - 10(-6) Pa, but less volatile compounds can also be analyzed. The method is relatively simple and rapid and yields vapor pressures and heats of vaporization that are in good agreement with literature values. The technique will be used to generate a new database of vapor pressures for low-volatility atmospheric organic compounds.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Time-weighted average sampling of volatile and semi-volatile airborne organic compounds by the solid-phase microextraction device.

The ultimate goal of the chemist is to perform sample preparation, and analysis, if possible at the place where a sample is located rather than moving the sample to laboratory, as is common practice in many cases at the present time. This approach eliminates errors and time associated with sample transport and storage and therefore it would result in more accurate, precise and faster analytical data. In addition to portability, two other important features of ideal field sample preparation technique are elimination of solvent use and integration with a sampling step. A method is developed which addresses these requirements for the determination of time-weighted average concentration of gas phase compounds using a solid-phase microextraction device. Quantification of target analytes in air using this method can be carried out without external calibration. The volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in air diffuse into the fiber coating which is retracted a known distance into its needle housing during the sampling period. The coatings used are poly(dimethylsiloxane) and poly(dimethylsiloxane)-divinylbenzene. The sampling rate at which gas phase analytes load onto the fiber is determined for a wide range of hydrocarbons. There is a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental sampling rates. Sampling time ranges from 1 min to 24 h depending on the coating used and its retraction distance. Effect of the flow-rate on the uptake rate by the fiber is studied. The method is tested in the field and compared with National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety Method 1550. Good agreement between the results is obtained.

Chromatography↗

PubMed2004

Biodegradation of PCE and TCE in landfill leachate predicted from concentrations of molecular hydrogen: a case study.

The Refuse Hideaway Landfill (23-acre) received municipal, commercial, and industrial waste between 1974 and 1988. It was designed as a "natural attenuation" landfill and no provision was made to collect and treat contaminated water. Natural biological degradation through sequential reductive dechlorination had been an important mechanism for natural attenuation at the site. We used the concentration of hydrogen to forecast whether reductive dechlorination would continue over time at particular locations in the plume. Based on published literature, reductive dechlorination and natural attenuation of PCE, TCE, and cis-DCE can be expected in the aquifer if the concentration of molecular hydrogen in monitoring wells are adequate (> 1 nanomolar). Reductive dechlorination can be expected to continue as the ground water moves down gradient. Natural attenuation through reductive dechlorination is not expected in flow paths that originate at down gradient monitoring wells with low concentrations of molecular hydrogen (< 1 nanomolar). In three monitoring wells at the margin of the landfill and in five monitoring wells down gradient of the landfill, ground water maintained a molecular hydrogen concentration, ranging from 1.30 to 9.17 nanomolar, that is adequate for reductive dechlorination. In three of the monitoring wells far down gradient of the landfill, the concentration of molecular hydrogen (0.33 to 0.83 nanomolar) was not adequate to support reductive dechlorination. In wells with adequate concentrations of hydrogen, the concentrations of chlorinated volatile organic compounds were attenuated over time, or concentrations of chlorinated volatile organics were below the detection limit. In wells with inadequate concentrations of hydrogen, the concentrations of chlorinated organic compounds attenuated at a slower rate over time. In wells with adequate hydrogen the first order rate of attenuation of PCE, TCE, cis-DCE and total chlorinated volatile organic compounds varies from 0.38 to 0.18 per year. In wells without adequate hydrogen the rate varies from 0.015 to 0.006 per year.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2002

Development of a headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the identification of odour-causing volatile compounds in packaging materials.

A method for the identification of volatile organic compounds in packaging materials is presented in this study. These compounds are formed by thermooxidative degradation during the extrusion coating process in the manufacture of packaging. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was used as sample preparation technique prior to the determination of the volatile organic compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effects of extraction variables, such as the type of fibre, the incubation temperature, the pre-incubation time, the size of the vial and the extraction time on the amounts of the extracted volatile compounds were studied. The optimal conditions were found to be: carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane 75 microm fibre, 5 min of pre-incubation time, 100 degrees C of incubation temperature, 20-ml vial, and 15 min of extraction time. The chromatograms obtained by HS-SPME and static headspace extraction were compared in order to show that the HS-SPME method surpasses the static headspace method in terms of sensitivity. Twenty-five compounds were identified including carbonyl compounds (such as 3-methyl-butanal, 3-heptanone or octanal), carboxylic acids (such as pentanoic acid or hexanoic acid) known as odour causing compounds and hydrocarbons (such as decane, undecane or dodecane). Finally, the method was applied to different packaging samples (one odour-unacceptable, two odour-acceptable, and three odourless samples) and to the raw materials in order to find out the odour-responsible volatile organic compounds and their source.

Food Packaging↗

PubMed2000

Sediment-air equilibrium partitioning of semi-volatile hydrophobic organic compounds. Part 1. Method development and water vapor sorption isotherm.

Contaminated sediments that become exposed to air as a result of dredging and disposal in confined disposal facilities are potential sources of air pollution. A critical parameter to develop emission estimation models is the equilibrium partition coefficient of contaminants, between sediment and air. In this first of two articles, we present a method, based on gas saturation in a flowing stream, to study both the adsorption of water and semi-volatile organic compounds on a sediment from the Campus Lake, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. The experimental set-up was used to determine the adsorption isotherm for water partitioning between sediment and pore-air. A detailed characterization of the sediment surface area and pore volume was used to develop an adsorption-condensation model for predicting water sorption on sediment. The model was used to estimate the importance of water adsorption on mineral surfaces and condensation in pores. This information serves, in the accompanying second article in the series, as the basis for the modeling of the partitioning of phenanthrene, and dibenzofuran.

Adsorption↗

PubMed2004

Monitoring of organic pollutants in coastal waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk, Southern Baltic.

This paper presents an overview of changes in organic pollution of coastal waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk (Baltic Sea). Toxic pollutants including volatile organic compounds (VOC), volatile organohalogen compounds (VOX), chlorophenols, phenoxyacids, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined in seawater from the Gulf of Gdańsk coastal waters in the period 1996-2001. In the case of the Gulf of Gdańsk, non-conservative behaviour of VOC was observed due to random temporal and spatial of inputs along the Vistula estuary and to the dilution of VOC-enriched river water with seawater. The concentrations of VOX in seawater decreased throughout the period and the concentrations of VOX were in the range of few ng dm(-3) up to 250 ng dm(-3), similar to estuaries elsewhere. The average concentrations of chlorophenols and phenoxyacids were between 0.1 and 6.0 and 0.05 and 2.2 microg dm(-3), respectively. However, remarkably high concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenol (6 microg dm(-3)) were obtained in samples collected from the Vistula River. Generally concentrations of PCBs did not exceed few ng dm(-3) with the exception of 1999, when all samples exhibited elevated concentrations of PCBs. In addition, higher concentrations of PCBs in the open sea compared to river waters suggested localised inputs. Due to the ability of most organic pollutants to bioaccumulate and biomagnify, especially the persistent organic pollutants, continued monitoring is of crucial importance for the health of marine life in the Gulf of Gdańsk.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Biosynthesis of fatty acid amide elicitors of plant volatiles by insect herbivores.

Larvae of several species of Lepidoptera produce fatty acid amide elicitors that induce the plants on which they feed to synthesize and release volatile organic compounds. The volatiles released by the plants act as cues that aid in host location by natural enemies of the herbivorous larvae. The elicitors are synthesized in the larvae by enzymes embedded in the membranes of the crop and anterior midgut tissues. The fatty acid precursors of the elicitors are obtained from the plants on which the caterpillars feed, while the amino acid moieties appear to be obtained from pools within the insects. The fatty acid amide elicitors are rapidly hydrolyzed in the midgut and hindgut by enzymes in the gut lumen. The role of these fatty acid amides in caterpillar metabolism is not yet understood.

Amides↗

PubMed2005

Potential applications of breath isoprene as a biomarker in modern medicine: a concise overview.

Human breath contains hundreds of trace volatile organic compounds. These volatile substances may be generated in the body or may be absorbed as contaminants from the environment. Some of the endogenous substances are characteristic markers of pathophysiological processes and clinicians are already using breath testing of such substances as an additional non-invasive diagnostic tool for certain diseases. Isoprene, another volatile compound, is formed endogenously in humans, and while the biochemical pathways of biosynthesis and exact origins of isoprene found in human breath have not been elucidated in sufficient depth, its measurement in exhaled breath has been suggested as a non-invasive indicator with diagnostic potential. This test has not yet reached the level of routine clinical methods and is still under development. Breath isoprene levels have been reported to be altered in a number of clinical conditions; however, the physiological meaning of these changes has not been established. Various lines of supportive evidence suggest that isoprene is related to cholesterol biosynthesis. Therefore, breath isoprene measurements could potentially be used for mass screening for lipid disorders and could, at minimum, serve as an additional parameter to complement invasive tests for monitoring the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapy, pharmacological and dietary or lifestyle. As a potentially useful biomarker of mevalonate synthesis in humans, it may have non-invasive applications, not only in metabolic disorders, but possibly also in cancer screening. In the present work, we aim to give a concise overview of breath isoprene, its measurement techniques, problems concerning its physiological meaning, and potential applications as a non-invasive biomarker in modern medicine.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed2001

Measurement of emissions from air pollution sources. 3. C1-C29 organic compounds from fireplace combustion of wood.

Organic compound emission rates for volatile organic compounds (VOC), gas-phase semivolatile organic compounds, and particle-phase organic compounds are measured from residential fireplace combustion of wood. Firewood from a conifer tree (pine) and from two deciduous trees (oak and eucalyptus) is burned to determine organic compound emissions profiles for each wood type including the distribution of the alkanes, alkenes, aromatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), phenol and substituted phenols, guaiacol and substituted guaiacol, syringol and substituted syringols, carbonyls, alkanoic acids, resin acids, and levoglucosan. Levoglucosan is the major constituent in the fine particulate emissions from all three wood types, contributing 18-30% of the fine particulate organic compound emissions. Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), and guaiacols with additional substituents at position 4 on the molecule, and resin acids are emitted in significant quantities from pine wood combustion. Syringol (2,6-dimethoxyphenol) and syringols with additional substituents at position 4 on the molecule are emitted in large amounts from oak and eucalyptus firewood combustion, but these compounds are not detected in the emissions from pine wood combustion. Syringol and most of the substituted syringols are found to be semivolatile compounds that are present in both the gas and particle phases, but two substituted syringols that have not been previously quantified in wood smoke emissions, propionylsyringol and butyrylsyringol, are found exclusively in the particle phase and can be used to help trace hardwood smoke particles in the atmosphere. Benzene, ethene, and acetylene are often used as tracers for motor vehicle exhaust in the urban atmosphere. The contribution of wood smoke to the ambient concentrations of benzene, ethene, and acetylene could lead to an overestimate of the contribution of motor vehicle tailpipe exhaust to atmospheric VOC concentrations.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2004

Modeling of TCE diffusion to the atmosphere and distribution in plant stems.

Fate of chlorinated solvents in phytoremediation has been delineated by many discoveries made in recent years. Plant uptake, metabolism, rhizosphere degradation, accumulation, and volatilization were shown to occur to differing degrees for many organic contaminants including chlorinated solvents. Among these mechanistic findings, recent research confirmed that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) volatilize from stems and that the resulting diffusive flux to the atmosphere is related to exposure concentration and to height up the stem. A comprehensive model was developed based upon all identified fate and transport mechanisms for VOCs, including translocation in the xylem flow and diffusion. The dispersion and diffusion in the radial direction were considered as one process (effective diffusion) as the two could not be investigated individually. The mechanism-based model mathematically indicates an exponential decrease of concentrations with height. While an analytic solution for the comprehensive model was not attained, it can serve as a starting point for other modeling efforts. The comprehensive model was simplified in this work for practical application to experimentally obtained data on trichloroethylene (TCE) fate. Model output correlated well with experimental results, and effective diffusivities for TCE in plant tissues were obtained through the model calibrations. The simplified model approximated TCE concentrations in the transpiration stream as well as TCE volatilization to the atmosphere. Xylem transport, including advection, dispersion, and diffusion through cell walls with subsequent volatilization to the atmosphere, is a major fate for VOCs in phytoremediation.

Atmosphere↗

PubMed2004

Identification of responsible volatile chemicals that induce hypersensitive reactions to multiple chemical sensitivity patients.

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) has become a serious problem as a result of airtight techniques in modern construction. The mechanism of the MCS, however, has not been clarified. Responsible chemicals and their exposure levels for patient's hypersensitive reactions need to be identified. We measured the exposure of 15 MCS patients to both carbonyl compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may induce hypersensitive reactions. The exposures of those not suffering from MCS (non-MCS individuals) were also measured at the same time. To characterize the chemicals responsible for MCS symptoms, we applied a new sampling strategy for the measurement of carbonyls and VOCs using active and passive sampling methods. The results of our study clearly demonstrated that the chemicals responsible for such hypersensitive reactions varied from patient to patient. Moreover, the concentrations during hypersensitive symptoms, which were apparent in some of the MCS patients, were far below both the WHO and the Japanese indoor guidelines. The average exposure levels of MCS patients within a 7-day period were lower than those of paired non-MCS individuals except for a few patients who were exposed to chemicals in their work places. This result indicates that the MCS patients try to keep away from exposures to the chemical compounds that cause some symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Cycling of volatile organic sulfur compounds in anaerobically digested biosolids and its implications for odors.

The objectives of this research were to elucidate the mechanisms for production and degradation of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs), key odor causing compounds produced by biosolids. These compounds included methanethiol (MT), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS). A series of experiments were used to probe various pathways hypothesized to produce and degrade these VOSCs. The production of MT was found to mainly occur from degradation of methionine and the methylation of hydrogen sulfide. DMS was formed through the methylation of MT. DMDS was formed by MT oxidation. All three of the VOSCs were readily degraded by methanogens and a cyclic pathway was proposed to describe the production and degradation of VOSCs. The research demonstrated that the main source of VOSCs was the biodegradation of protein within the biosolids and the results provided a framework for understanding the production of odor from anaerobically digested sludges before and after dewatering.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2006

Volatile organic sulfur compounds in anaerobic sludge and sediments: biodegradation and toxicity.

A variety of environmental samples was screened for anaerobic degradation of methanethiol, ethanethiol, propanethiol, dimethylsulfide, and dimethyldisulfide. All sludge and sediment samples degraded methanethiol, dimethylsulfide, and dimethyldisulfide anaerobically. In contrast, ethanethiol and propanethiol were not degraded by the samples investigated under any of the conditions tested. Methanethiol, dimethylsulfide, and dimethyldisulfide were mainly degraded by methanogenic archaea. In the presence of sulfate and the methanogenic inhibitor bromoethane sulfonate, degradation of these compounds coupled to sulfate reduction occurred as well, but at much lower rates. Besides their biodegradability, also the toxicity of methanethiol, ethanethiol, and propanethiol to methanogenesis with methanol, acetate, and H2/CO2 as the substrates was assessed. The 50% inhibition concentration of methanethiol on the methane production from these substrates ranged between 7 and 10 mM. The 50% inhibition concentration values of ethanethiol and propanethiol for the degradation of methanol and acetate were between 6 and 8 mM, whereas hydrogen consumers were less affected by ethanethiol and propanethiol, as indicated by their higher 50% inhibition concentration (14 mM). Sulfide inhibited methanethiol degradation already at relatively low concentrations: methanethiol degradation was almost completely inhibited at an initial sulfide concentration of 8 mM. These results define the operational limits of anaerobic technologies for the treatment of volatile organic sulfur compounds in sulfide-containing wastewater streams.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed1993

Increased pentane and carbon disulfide in the breath of patients with schizophrenia.

AIMS: To determine the concentrations of pentane (a marker of lipid peroxidation) and other volatile organic compounds in the breath of patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Volatile organic compounds were assayed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) in 88 subjects--25 with acute schizophrenic psychosis, 26 with psychiatric disorders other than schizophrenia, and 37 normal volunteers. RESULTS: The mean alveolar gradients of pentane and carbon disulfide (CS2) were significantly higher in the patients with schizophrenia than in the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Schizophrenia may be accompanied by accelerated lipid peroxidation in cell membranes, as well as increased manufacture of CS2, a known neurotoxin.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Production of volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) by basidiomycetous yeasts.

Thirty-seven basidiomycetous yeasts belonging to 30 species of seven genera were grown on media containing l-cysteine or l-methionine as sole nitrogen sources with the objective of evaluating volatile organic sulfur compound (VOSC) production. The headspace of yeast cultures was analyzed by the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling method, and volatile compounds were quantified and identified by GC-MS techniques. Ten strains assimilating L-methionine produced the following VOSCs: 3-(methylthio)-1-propanol, methanethiol, S-methyl thioacetate, dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, allyl methyl sulphide and 4,5-dihydro-3(2H)-thiophenone. Production was <1 mgl(-1) except for 3-(methylthio)-1-propanol of which between 40 and 400 mgl(-1) was synthesized. Higher alcohols (isobutyl alcohol, isoamyl alcohol and active amyl alcohol) and esters (ethyl acetate, ethyl propionate, n-propyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, n-propyl propionate, n-butyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, amyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, amyl propionate and 2-phenylmethyl acetate) were also sporadically produced. This is the first report of VOSCs production by basidiomycetous yeasts. Consequently, basidiomycetous yeasts may be considered an interesting new group of microbial VOSCs producers for the flavor industry.

Basidiomycota↗

PubMed2006

Development of a purge and trap continuous flow system for the stable carbon isotope analysis of volatile halogenated organic compounds in water.

A purge and trap (P&T) continuous flow system was developed in order to concentrate high volumes of water for trace analyses and stable carbon isotope measurements of volatile halogenated organic compounds (VHOCs) in seawater. The P&T parameters were evaluated regarding quality parameters, extraction efficiency and isotope fractionation. Precision (about 20%), linearity (>0.9676), and recoveries (between 75% and 99%) were reasonable within the large concentration range tested. Isotope fractionation was between 1 per thousand and 3 per thousand. Finally, the developed system was successfully applied to the quantitative and stable carbon isotope analysis of three water samples of different origin.

Carbon Isotopes↗