Selective gas chromatographic determination of trace amounts of alcohols in ambient air

Abstract

A method for the determination of alcohols at p.p.b. levels on a volume to volume basis has been developed based on the formation of an alkyl nitrite in the heterogeneous reaction of alcohols with NO₂. The detection limits for the determination of methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol were 3 and 0.6 p.p.b., respectively, and the relative standard deviation for five measurements of 10 p.p.b. of ethyl alcohol was 2.2%