Supervisors info:
Ευάγγελος Μπακέας, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Χημείας, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The present study was carried out in the Environmental Chemistry Lab and in the Analytical Chemistry Lab of the Department of Chemistry of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens. The purpose of this master thesis is the determination of products from the transformation of organic compounds in atmospheric particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), that were collected at Agia Marina Xyliatou, a remote location near Nicosia, Cyprus. In particular, a large number of polar organic compounds was investigated such as: a) dicarboxylic acids (succinic, glutaric, adipic, mallic, pimelic, souberic, azelaic, sebacic), b) secondary biogenic compounds (pinic acid, pinonic acid, methylerythritol), c) aromatic compounds (phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, trimellitic acid), d) monocarboxylic acids (lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic), e) biomass burning tracers (levoglucosan) and tracers of biogenic activity (mannitol). Subsequently, the possible sources of these compounds were investigated using the appropriate statistical packages and following the study of specific diagnostic mass ratios. Moreover, the concentration of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) was determinated for every filter and the quantity of secondary organic carbon (OCsec) was estimated. In addition samples concerning volatile organic compounds were collected daily from 18th November 2017 to 31st December 2017. A triple derivatization technique was performed for the determination of the secondary organic compounds, due to the polar functional groups of the analytes. The determination of substances mentioned above was carried out with the use of a gas chromatograph combined with mass spectrometer.
Keywords:
Particulate matter, polar organic compounds, secondary organic aerosol, derivatization, gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
