Osnabrück 2002 – scientific programme

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MS: Massenspektrometrie

MS 6: Massenspektrometrie an Atmosphäre und Aerosolen, Ionisationsmethoden

MS 6.1: Talk

Thursday, March 7, 2002, 17:45–18:00, HS 02/E04

Experiments with a mobile Single-Particle Mass Spectrometer for on-line analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles — •Nicole Erdmann¹, Paolo Cavalli¹, Nicolo Omenetto^1,2, Rita Van Dingenen¹, Giuseppe A. Petrucci³, and Paul B. Farnsworth⁴ — ¹European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, I-21020 Ispra (VA), Italy — ²Dept. of Chemistry, University of Florida, 32611 Gainesville, FL, USA — ³Dept. of Chemistry, University of Vermont, 05401 Burlington, VT, USA — ⁴Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, 84602 Provo, UT, USA

We describe here some recent experiments with our Single Particle Mass Spectrometer (SPMS) instrument for the on-line characterization of single atmospheric aerosol particles. Aerosols are introduced into the SPMS via a differentially pumped particle inlet system that forms a narrow particle beam. They are sized with a 2-laser velocimeter and subsequently desorbed and ionized with a high power pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 266 nm. Positive and negative ions formed are simultaneously detected in a bipolar time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer. Thus the size and chemical composition of single aerosol particles can be characterized simultaneously in real time. The SPMS system has been installed inside a truck, thus creating a mobile unit. The performance of the SPMS has been evaluated, the sizing capabilities of the laser velocimeter have been studied. Characteristic positive and negative mass spectra for different types of laboratory-generated particles have been obtained.