Polymers with reactive functions as sampling and derivatising agents. Part 1. Effective sampling and simultaneous derivatisation of an airborne amine

Abstract

A mixture of silica gel and a polymeric anhydride containing an o-acetylsalicyl group as the labelling moiety, was used for the collection and simultaneous derivatisation of airborne primary aliphatic amines, with n-butylamine as the model. The reaction product, n-butyl-o-acetylsalicylamide, was determined quantitatively by high-performance liquid chromatography using a reversed-phase column and ultraviolet detection at 220 nm. The lower limit of detection for n-butylamine was 1 µg and the detector response was linear between 10 and 1000 µg. The efficiency of sampling was confirmed using a Test Atmosphere Generation System.