Abstract

A splitless thermal desorber unit that interfaces a differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) sensor has been devised. This device was characterized by the detection of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) in water. The detection of BTX in water is important for environmental monitoring, and ion mobility measurements are traditionally difficult for hydrocarbons in water because water competes for charge and quenches the hydrocarbon signals. This paper reports the use of a DMS with a photoionization source that is directly coupled to a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) desorber. The separation and detection capabilities of the DMS were demonstrated using BTX components. Detection limits for benzene, toluene, and <i>m</i>-xylene were 75, 50, and 5 μg mL⁻¹, respectively.

Real-time monitoring of benzene, toluene, and p-xylene in a photoreaction chamber with a tunable mid-infrared laser and ultraviolet differential optical absorption spectroscopy

Matthew T. Parsons, Ihor Sydoryk, Alan Lim, Thomas J. McIntyre, John Tulip, Wolfgang Jäger, and Karen McDonald
Appl. Opt. 50(4) A90-A99 (2011)

Application of laser photofragmentation-resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization to ion mobility spectrometry

Jeffrey M. Headrick, Thomas A. Reichardt, Thomas B. Settersten, Ray P. Bambha, and Dahv A. V. Kliner
Appl. Opt. 49(11) 2204-2214 (2010)

Production of the NO photofragment in the desorption of RDX and HMX from surfaces

Jason D. White, F. Ahu Akin, Harald Oser, and David R. Crosley
Appl. Opt. 50(1) 74-81 (2011)

Molecular analysis by ionization of laser-desorbed neutral species

Keith R. Lykke, Peter Wurz, Deborah H. Parker, and Michael J. Pellin
Appl. Opt. 32(6) 857-866 (1993)

Surface profiling of lithium with a laser-desorption mass-spectrometer microprobe

Grant A. Bickel and Harry M. Adams
Appl. Opt. 38(9) 1488-1493 (1999)