Chemical ionization by [NO]+ and subsequent collision-induced dissociation for the selective on-line detection of monoterpenes and linalool.

Existing on-line Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CIMS) techniques for quantification of atmospheric trace gases, such as Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs), suffer from difficulty in discriminating between isomeric (and more generally isobaric) compounds. Selective detection of these compounds, however, is important because they can affect atmospheric chemistry in different ways, depending on their chemical structure. In this work, Flowing Afterglow Tandem Mass Spectrometry (FATMS) was used to investigate the feasibility of the selective detection of a series of monoterpenes, an oxygenated monoterpene (linalool) and a sesquiterpene (ß-caryophyllene). Ions at m/z 137 from [H(3)O](+) chemical ionization of α-pinene, linalool and ß-caryophyllene have been subjected to Collision-Induced Dissociation (CID) with Ar in the collision cell of a tandem mass spectrometer at center-of-mass energies ranging between 0 and 8 eV. Similar fragmentation patterns were obtained, demonstrating that this method is not suited for the selective detection of these compounds. However, CID of the ions at m/z 136 produced via [NO](+) chemical ionization of a series of monoterpenes has revealed promising results. Some tracer-product ions for individual compounds or groups of compounds were found, which can be considered as a step forward towards selective on-line monitoring of BVOCs with CIMS techniques.

Iron isotopic fractionation in industrial emissions and urban aerosols.

A study on tropospheric aerosols involving Fe particles with an industrial origin is tackled here. Aerosols were collected at the largest exhausts of a major European steel metallurgy plant and around its near urban environment. A combination of bulk and individual particle analysis performed by SEM-EDX provides the chemical composition of Fe-bearing aerosols emitted within the factory process (hematite, magnetite and agglomerates of these oxides with sylvite (KCl), calcite (CaCO(3)) and graphite carbon). Fe isotopic compositions of those emissions fall within the range (0.08 per thousand