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- Heaters/Source
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- Agilent Heaters and SensorsMass Spectrometry, Scientific Supplies & ManufacturingScientific Instrument Services 5973 Source Heater Tamper Resistant Allen Wrench 5973/5975 Quad Sensor 5985 Source Heater Assembly Agilent Interface Heater Assembly 5971 Interface Heater
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- Reference Material on InstrumentationArticle - A High Temperature Direct Probe for a Mass Spectrometer Design of a Direct Exposure Probe and Controller for use ona Hewlett-Packard 5989 Mass Spectrometer SIS AP1000 AutoProbe™ SIS AP2000 AutoProbe™ - Description of System HPP7: Direct Probe Electronics Console HPP7: Direct Probe for the Agilent (HP) 5973/5975 MSD HPP7: HP Direct Probe Application Notes HPP7: Installation Directions for the Direct Probe HPP7: Side Cover for the HP 5973 MSD HPP7: Support HPP7: Probe Inlet System for the Agilent (HP) 5973 and 5975 MSD with Automatic Indexed Stops HPP7: Theory of Operation of the Direct Probe and Probe Inlet System Direct Thermal Extraction Thermal Desorption Application Notes Environmental Thermal Desorption Application Notes Food Science Thermal Desorption Application Notes Forensic Thermal Desorption Application Notes GC Cryo-Trap Application Notes Headspace Application Notes Purge & Trap Thermal Desorption Application Notes Theory of Operation of the AutoDesorb® System AutoDesorb Notes for SIS Dealers Adsorbent Resin Application Notes Installation of the Short Path Thermal Desorption System on Agilent (HP) and Other GCs Installation of the Short Path Thermal Desorption System on a Varian 3400 GC AutoDesorb® System Development Team Thermal Desorption Applications and Reference Materials Installation of the Short Path Thermal Desorption System - TD5 Part I - Design & Operation of the Short Path ThermalDesorption System Installation Instructions for the Model 951 GC Cryo-Trap on the HP 5890 Series GC Installation Instructions for the Model 961 GC Cryo-Trap on the HP 5890 Series GC Operation of the Model 951/961 GC Cryo-Trap SIS GC Cryo Traps - Theory of Operation NIST/EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Enhancements - 1998 version (NIST98) SIMION 3D Ion Optics Class Mass Spectrometer Source Cleaning Methods MS Tip: Mass Spectrometer Source Cleaning Procedures Mass Spec Source Cleaning Procedures Micro-Mesh® Abrasive Sheets Research Papers Using New Era Syringe Pump Systems EI Positive Ion Spectra for Perfluorokerosene (PFK) Cap Liner Information How do I convert between fluid oz and milliliters? Which bottle material should I choose? Which bottle mouth should I choose? The Bottle Selection Guide CGA Connections for Gas Tanks Chemical Reaction Interface Mass Spectrometry (CRIMS)
- TD
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- AccessoriesTD Supply Kit Desorption Tubes Adsorbent Resins Desorption Tube Needles Desorption Tube Seals Desorption System Fittings GC Cryo-Trap Extraction Cell TD Sample Loader Prepacked, Conditioned Desorption Tubes Desorption Tube Packing Accessories Stainless Steel Purge Heads Injection Port Liners Tenax TA Poster TD Application Notes Customer Service
- LiteratureApplication Notes Adsorbent Resins Guide Mass Spec Tips SDS Sheets FAQ MS Calibration Compound Spectra Manuals MS Links/Labs/ Organizations MS Online Tools Flyers on Products/Services Scientific Supplies Catalog About Us NextAdvance Bullet Blender® Homogenizer Protocols Micro-Mesh® Literature Instrumentation Literature Agilent GC/MS Literature SIS News / E-Mail Newsletter NIST MS Database - Update Notifications
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- Thermal Desorption Applications and Reference MaterialsDirect Thermal Extraction Headspace Environmental Food Science Applications Pharmaceuticals Forensic Note 103: EPA Method 325B, Novel Thermal Desorption Instrument Modification to Improve Sensitivity Note 102: Identification of Contaminants in Powdered Beverages by Direct Extraction Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 101: Identification of Contaminants in Powdered Foods by Direct Extraction Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 100: Volatile and Semi-Volatile Profile Comparison of Whole Versus Cracked Versus Dry Homogenized Barley Grains by Direct Thermal Extraction Note 99: Volatile and Semi-Volatile Profile Comparison of Whole vs. Dry Homogenized Wheat, Rye and Barley Grains by Direct Thermal Extraction GC/MS Note 98: Flavor and Aroma Profiles of Truffle Oils by Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 97: Flavor Profiles of Imported and Domestic Beers by Purge & Trap Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 95: Detection of Explosives on Clothing Material by Direct and AirSampling Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 94: Detection of Nepetalactone in the Nepeta Cataria Plant by Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 93: Detection of Benzene in Carbonated Beverages with Purge & Trap Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 88: Analysis of Silicone Contaminants on Electronic Components by Thermal Desorption GC-MS Note 84: Vacuum Pump Exhaust Filters - Charcoal Exhaust Traps Note 83: Vacuum Pump Exhaust Filters - Oil Mist Eliminators Note 82: Vacuum Pump Exhaust Filters Note 80: Design, Development and Testing of a Microprocessor ControlledAutomated Short Path Thermal Desorption Apparatus Note 79: Volatile Organic Compounds From Electron Beam Cured and Partially Electron Beam Cured Packaging Using Automated Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 77: The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds in VacuumSystem Components Note 75: An Apparatus for Sampling Volatile Organics From LivePlant Material Using Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 73: The Analysis of Perfumes and their Effect on Indoor Air Pollution Note 71: Flavor Profile Determination of Rice Samples Using Shor tPath Thermal Desorption GC Methods Note 65: Determination of Ethylene by Adsorbent Trapping and Thermal Desorption - Gas Chromatography Note 64: Comparison of Various GC/MS Techniques For the Analysis of Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum) Note 63: Determination of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organics in Printer Toners Using Thermal Desorption GC Techniques Note 60: Programmable Temperature Ramping of Samples Analyzed ViaDirect Thermal Extraction GC/MS Note 57: Aroma Profiles of Lavandula species Note 55: Seasonal Variation in Flower Volatiles Note 54: Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds in Office Products Note 43: Volatile Organic Composition In Blueberries Note 42: The Influence of Pump Oil Purity on Roughing Pumps Note 41: Hydrocarbon Production in Pine by Direct Thermal Extraction Note 40: Comparison of Septa by Direct Thermal Extraction Note 39: Comparison of Sensitivity Of Headspace GC, Purge and Trap Thermal Desorption and Direct Thermal Extraction Techniques For Volatile Organics Note 38: A New Micro Cryo-Trap For Trapping Of Volatiles At the Front Of a GC Capillary Column Note 37: Volatile Organic Emissions from Automobile Tires Note 36: Identification Of Volatile Organic Compounds In a New Automobile Note 35: Volatile Organics Composition of Cranberries Note 34: Selection Of Thermal Desorption and Cryo-Trap Parameters In the Analysis Of Teas Note 33: Changes in Volatile Organic Composition in Milk Over Time Note 32: Selection and Use of Adsorbent Resins for Purge and Trap Thermal Desorption Applications Note 31: Volatile Organic Composition in Several Cultivars of Peaches Note 30: Comparison Of Cooking Oils By Direct Thermal Extraction and Purge and Trap GC/MS Note 29: Analysis Of Volatile Organics In Oil Base Paints By Automated Headspace Sampling and GC Cryo-Focusing Note 28: Analysis Of Volatile Organics In Latex Paints By Automated Headspace Sampling and GC Cryo-Focusing Note 27: Analysis of Volatile Organics In Soils By Automated Headspace GC Note 26: Volatile Organics Present in Recycled Air Aboard a Commercial Airliner Note 25: Flavor and Aroma in Natural Bee Honey Note 24: Selection of GC Guard Columns For Use With the GC Cryo-Trap Note 23: Frangrance Qualities in Colognes Note 22: Comparison Of Volatile Compounds In Latex Paints Note 21: Detection and Identification Of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organics In Synthetic Polymers Used In Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Note 20: Using Direct Thermal Desorption to Assess the Potential Pool of Styrene and 4-Phenylcyclohexene In Latex-Backed Carpets Note 19: A New Programmable Cryo-Cooling/Heating Trap for the Cryo-Focusing of Volatiles and Semi-Volatiles at the Head of GC Capillary Columns Note 18: Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds In Mushrooms Note 17: Identification of Volatile Organics in Wines Over Time Note 16: Analysis of Indoor Air and Sources of Indoor Air Contamination by Thermal Desorption Note 14: Identification of Volatiles and Semi-Volatiles In Carbonated Colas Note 13: Identification and Quantification of Semi-Volatiles In Soil Using Direct Thermal Desorption Note 12: Identification of the Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organics In Chewing Gums By Direct Thermal Desorption Note 11: Flavor/Fragrance Profiles of Instant and Ground Coffees By Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 10: Quantification of Naphthalene In a Contaminated Pharmaceutical Product By Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 9: Methodologies For the Quantification Of Purge and Trap Thermal Desorption and Direct Thermal Desorption Analyses Note 8: Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds In Liquids Utilizing the Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 7: Chemical Residue Analysis of Pharmaceuticals Using The Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 6: Direct Thermal Analysis of Plastic Food Wraps Using the Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 5: Direct Thermal Analysis Using the Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 4: Direct Analysis of Spices and Coffee Note 3: Indoor Air Pollution Note 2: Detection of Arson Accelerants Using Dynamic Headspace with Tenax® Cartridges Thermal Desorption and Cryofocusing Note 1: Determination of Off-Odors and Other Volatile Organics In Food Packaging Films By Direct Thermal Analysis-GC-MS
- Application NotesNote 103: EPA Method 325B, Novel Thermal Desorption Instrument Modification to Improve Sensitivity Note 102: Identification of Contaminants in Powdered Beverages by Direct Extraction Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 101: Identification of Contaminants in Powdered Foods by Direct Extraction Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 100: Volatile and Semi-Volatile Profile Comparison of Whole Versus Cracked Versus Dry Homogenized Barley Grains by Direct Thermal Extraction Note 99: Volatile and Semi-Volatile Profile Comparison of Whole vs. Dry Homogenized Wheat, Rye and Barley Grains by Direct Thermal Extraction GC/MS Note 98: Flavor and Aroma Profiles of Truffle Oils by Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 97: Flavor Profiles of Imported and Domestic Beers by Purge & Trap Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 96: Reducing Warping in Mass Spectrometer Filaments, with SISAlloy® Yttria/Rhenium Filaments Note 95: Detection of Explosives on Clothing Material by Direct and AirSampling Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 94: Detection of Nepetalactone in the Nepeta Cataria Plant by Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 93: Detection of Benzene in Carbonated Beverages with Purge & Trap Thermal Desorption GC/MS Note 92: Yttria Coated Mass Spectrometer Filaments Note 91: AutoProbe DEP Probe Tip Temperatures Note 90: An Automated MS Direct Probe for use in an Open Access Environment Note 89: Quantitation of Organics via a Mass Spectrometer Automated Direct Probe Note 88: Analysis of Silicone Contaminants on Electronic Components by Thermal Desorption GC-MS Note 87: Design and Development of an Automated Direct Probe for a Mass Spectrometer Note 86: Simulation of a Unique Cylindrical Quadrupole Mass Analyzer Using SIMION 7.0. Note 85: Replacing an Electron Multiplier in the Agilent (HP) 5973 MSD Note 84: Vacuum Pump Exhaust Filters - Charcoal Exhaust Traps Note 83: Vacuum Pump Exhaust Filters - Oil Mist Eliminators Note 82: Vacuum Pump Exhaust Filters Note 81: Rapid Bacterial Chemotaxonomy By DirectProbe/MSD Note 80: Design, Development and Testing of a Microprocessor ControlledAutomated Short Path Thermal Desorption Apparatus Note 79: Volatile Organic Compounds From Electron Beam Cured and Partially Electron Beam Cured Packaging Using Automated Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 78: A New Solution to Eliminate MS Down-Time With No-Tool-Changing of Analytical GC Columns Note 77: The Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds in VacuumSystem Components Note 76: Determination of the Sensitivity of a CRIMS System Note 75: An Apparatus for Sampling Volatile Organics From LivePlant Material Using Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 74: Examination of Source Design in Electrospray-TOF Using SIMION 3D Note 73: The Analysis of Perfumes and their Effect on Indoor Air Pollution Note 72: 1998 Version of the NIST/EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Library, NIST98 Note 71: Flavor Profile Determination of Rice Samples Using Shor tPath Thermal Desorption GC Methods Note 70: Application of SIMION 6.0 To a Study of the Finkelstein Ion Source: Part II Note 69: Application of SIMION 6.0 To a Study of the Finkelstein Ion Source: Part 1 Note 68: Use of a PC Plug-In UV-Vis Spectrometer To Monitor the Plasma Conditions In GC-CRIMS Note 67: Using Chemical Reaction Interface Mass Spectrometry (CRIMS) To Monitor Bacterial Transport In In Situ Bioremediation Note 66: Probe Tip Design For the Optimization of Direct Insertion Probe Performance Note 65: Determination of Ethylene by Adsorbent Trapping and Thermal Desorption - Gas Chromatography Note 64: Comparison of Various GC/MS Techniques For the Analysis of Black Pepper (Piper Nigrum) Note 63: Determination of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organics in Printer Toners Using Thermal Desorption GC Techniques Note 62: Analysis of Polymer Samples Using a Direct Insertion Probe and EI Ionization Note 61: Analysis of Sugars Via a New DEP Probe Tip For Use With theDirect Probe On the HP5973 MSD Note 60: Programmable Temperature Ramping of Samples Analyzed ViaDirect Thermal Extraction GC/MS Note 59: Computer Modeling of a TOF Reflectron With Gridless Reflector Using SIMION 3D Note 58: Direct Probe Analysis and Identification of Multicomponent Pharmaceutical Samples via Electron Impact MS Note 57: Aroma Profiles of Lavandula species Note 56: Mass Spec Maintenance & Cleaning Utilizing Micro-Mesh® Abrasive Sheets Note 55: Seasonal Variation in Flower Volatiles Note 54: Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds in Office Products Note 53: SIMION 3D v6.0 Ion Optics Simulation Software Note 52: Computer Modeling of Ion Optics in Time-of-Flight mass Spectrometry Using SIMION 3D Note 51: Development and Characterization of a New Chemical Reaction Interface for the Detection of Nonradioisotopically Labeled Analytes Using Mass Spectrometry (CRIMS) Note 50: The Analysis of Multiple Component Drug Samples Using a Direct Probe Interfaced to the HP 5973 MSD Note 49: Analysis of Cocaine Utilizing a New Direct Insertion Probe on a Hewlett Packard 5973 MSD Note 48: Demonstration of Sensitivity Levels For the Detection of Caffeine Using a New Direct Probe and Inlet for the HP 5973 MSD Note 47: The Application Of SIMION 6.0 To Problems In Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Note 46: Delayed Extraction and Laser Desorption: Time-lag Focusing and Beyond Note 45: Application of SIMION 6.0 to Filament Design for Mass Spectrometer Ionization Sources Note 44: The Design Of a New Direct Probe Inlet For a Mass Spectrometer Note 43: Volatile Organic Composition In Blueberries Note 42: The Influence of Pump Oil Purity on Roughing Pumps Note 41: Hydrocarbon Production in Pine by Direct Thermal Extraction Note 40: Comparison of Septa by Direct Thermal Extraction Note 39: Comparison of Sensitivity Of Headspace GC, Purge and Trap Thermal Desorption and Direct Thermal Extraction Techniques For Volatile Organics Note 38: A New Micro Cryo-Trap For Trapping Of Volatiles At the Front Of a GC Capillary Column Note 37: Volatile Organic Emissions from Automobile Tires Note 36: Identification Of Volatile Organic Compounds In a New Automobile Note 35: Volatile Organics Composition of Cranberries Note 34: Selection Of Thermal Desorption and Cryo-Trap Parameters In the Analysis Of Teas Note 33: Changes in Volatile Organic Composition in Milk Over Time Note 32: Selection and Use of Adsorbent Resins for Purge and Trap Thermal Desorption Applications Note 31: Volatile Organic Composition in Several Cultivars of Peaches Note 30: Comparison Of Cooking Oils By Direct Thermal Extraction and Purge and Trap GC/MS Note 29: Analysis Of Volatile Organics In Oil Base Paints By Automated Headspace Sampling and GC Cryo-Focusing Note 28: Analysis Of Volatile Organics In Latex Paints By Automated Headspace Sampling and GC Cryo-Focusing Note 27: Analysis of Volatile Organics In Soils By Automated Headspace GC Note 26: Volatile Organics Present in Recycled Air Aboard a Commercial Airliner Note 25: Flavor and Aroma in Natural Bee Honey Note 24: Selection of GC Guard Columns For Use With the GC Cryo-Trap Note 23: Frangrance Qualities in Colognes Note 22: Comparison Of Volatile Compounds In Latex Paints Note 21: Detection and Identification Of Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organics In Synthetic Polymers Used In Food and Pharmaceutical Packaging Note 20: Using Direct Thermal Desorption to Assess the Potential Pool of Styrene and 4-Phenylcyclohexene In Latex-Backed Carpets Note 19: A New Programmable Cryo-Cooling/Heating Trap for the Cryo-Focusing of Volatiles and Semi-Volatiles at the Head of GC Capillary Columns Note 18: Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds In Mushrooms Note 17: Identification of Volatile Organics in Wines Over Time Note 16: Analysis of Indoor Air and Sources of Indoor Air Contamination by Thermal Desorption Note 14: Identification of Volatiles and Semi-Volatiles In Carbonated Colas Note 13: Identification and Quantification of Semi-Volatiles In Soil Using Direct Thermal Desorption Note 12: Identification of the Volatile and Semi-Volatile Organics In Chewing Gums By Direct Thermal Desorption Note 11: Flavor/Fragrance Profiles of Instant and Ground Coffees By Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 10: Quantification of Naphthalene In a Contaminated Pharmaceutical Product By Short Path Thermal Desorption Note 9: Methodologies For the Quantification Of Purge and Trap Thermal Desorption and Direct Thermal Desorption Analyses Note 8: Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds In Liquids Utilizing the Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 7: Chemical Residue Analysis of Pharmaceuticals Using The Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 6: Direct Thermal Analysis of Plastic Food Wraps Using the Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 5: Direct Thermal Analysis Using the Short Path Thermal Desorption System Note 4: Direct Analysis of Spices and Coffee Note 3: Indoor Air Pollution Note 2: Detection of Arson Accelerants Using Dynamic Headspace with Tenax® Cartridges Thermal Desorption and Cryofocusing Note 1: Determination of Off-Odors and Other Volatile Organics In Food Packaging Films By Direct Thermal Analysis-GC-MS Tech No. "A" Note 14: Elimination of "Memory" Peaks in Thermal Desorption Improving Sensitivity in the H.P. 5971 MSD and Other Mass Spectrometers - Part I of II Improving Sensitivity in the H.P. 5971 MSD and Other Mass Spectrometers- Part II of II Adsorbent Resins Guide Development and Field Tests of an Automated Pyrolysis Insert for Gas Chromatography. Hydrocarbon Production in Pine by Direct Thermal Extraction A New Micro Cryo-Trap for the Trapping of Volatiles at the Front of a GC Capillary (019P) - Comparison of Septa by Direct Thermal Extraction Volatile Organic Composition in Blueberry Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds in Office Products Detection and Indentification of Volatiles in Oil Base Paintsby Headspace GC with On Column Cryo-Trapping Evaluation of Septa Using a Direct Thermal Extraction Technique INFLUENCE OF STORAGE ON BLUEBERRY VOLATILES Selection of Thermal Desorption and Cryo-Trap Parameters in the Analysis of Teas Redesign and Performance of a Diffusion Based Solvent Removal Interface for LC/MS The Design of a New Direct Probe Inlet for a Mass Spectrometer Analytes Using Mass Spectrometry (CRIMS) Application of SIMION 6.0 to Filament Design for Mass Spectrometer Ionization Sources A Student Guide for SIMION Modeling Software Application of SIMION 6.0 to Problems in Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry Comparison of Sensitivity of Headspace GC, Purge and TrapThermal Desorption and Direct Thermal Extraction Techniques forVolatile Organics The Influence of Pump Oil Purity on Roughing Pumps Analysis of Motor Oils Using Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry IDENTIFICATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN PAPER PRODUCTS Computer Modeling of Ion Optics in Time-of-Flight mass Spectrometry using SIMION 3D Seasonal Variation in Flower Volatiles Development of and Automated Microprocessor Controlled Gas chromatograph Fraction Collector / Olfactometer Delayed Extraction and Laser Desorption: Time-lag Focusing and Beyond A New Micro Cryo-Trap for the Trapping of Volatiles at the Front of a GC Column Design of a Microprocessor Controlled Short Path Thermal Desorption Autosampler Computer Modeling of Ion Optics in Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Using SIMION 3D Thermal Desorption Instrumentation for Characterization of Odors and Flavors
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- Note 54: Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds in Office Products (This Page)
INTRODUCTION
The quality of indoor air has become a major concern to the entire population. Numerous reports have been previously reported describing the "sick building syndrome" which has been associated with the quality of indoor air in public buildings. Health risks due to these "sick buildings" have caused concern in government and industry due to both time lost by sick employees and the costs involved with remediation. Buildings related health problems may be due to contamination of indoor air by emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) from a variety of sources including construction materials, fabrics, furnishings, maintenance supplies, adhesives, paints, caulks, paper and cleaning products. Because many of the volatile emissions and by-products from these products are toxic, additional knowledge of the levels of these organic chemicals in the indoor air environment is required in order to determine human health impact. Not only will new methods be required to accurately determine the identity and to accurately quantify the levels of these volatile organics in indoor air samples, but additional studies will be needed to determine the sources of the air contamination. If manufacturing processes are contributing to poor air quality, then these manufacturing processes will need to be improved to limit the emission of VOC's. For this study, samples from several different office products were analyzed by a new technique entitled "Direct Thermal Extraction" which uses a thermal desorption system connected to the injection port of a GC/MS system to determine the VOC's present which may contribute to this "sick building syndrome". This technique can be easily incorporated into a troubleshooting technique to detect potential problems as well as implementation into a quality control program.
Instrumentation
A new technique called "Direct Thermal Extraction" which utilizes a thermal desorption apparatus attached to the injection port of a GC/MS system (Fig. 1) permits the direct thermal extraction of volatile and semi-volatile organics directly from small sample sizes (mg) without the need for solvent extraction or other sample preparation. The sample is placed inside a preconditioned glass-lined stainless steel desorption tube between two glass wool plugs which simply hold the sample in place. The desorption tube containing the sample is attached to the Short Path Thermal Desorption System and a syringe needle attached. The desorption tube with sample is injected into the GC injection port, ballistically heated and together with the carrier gas flow through the sample the volatiles are outgassed into the injection port and onto the front of the GC column for subsequent analysis.
All experiments were conducted using a Scientific Instrument Services model TD3 Short Path Thermal Desorption System accessory connected to the injection port of an HP 5890 Series II GC interfaced to an HP 5971 Mass Selective Detector. The mass spectrometer was operated in the electron impact mode (EI) AT 70 Ev and scanned from 35 to 550 daltons during the GC run for the total ion chromatogram.
A short 0.5 meter by 0.53 mm diameter fused silica precolumn was attached to the injection port end of a 30 meter x 0.25 mm i.d. DB-5MS capillary column containing a 0.25 um film thickness. The GC injection port was set to 260 degrees C and a 10:1 split was used. The head of the column was maintained at -70 degrees C using a GC Cryotrap model 961 (Scientific Instrument Services, Ringoes, NJ) during the desorption and extraction process and then ballistically heated to 200 degrees C after which the GC oven was temperature programmed from 35 degres C (hold for 5 minutes) to 80 degrees C at 10 degrees C/min, then to 200 degrees C at 4 degrees C/min and finally to 260 degrees C at a rate of 10 degrees C/min.
Experimental
Nine different office products were analyzed by "Direct Thermal Extraction" to determine the VOC's present which may have an influence on "sick building syndrome". Samples sizes measuring from < 1 to 25 mg were placed into an inert thermal desorption tube on top of a glass wool plug. The desorption tube with sample was then attached to the Short Path Thermal Desorption System and a syringe needle attached. The desorption tube was injected into the GC injection port at a desorption block temperature of 150 degrees C for 5 minutes each. The extracted organics were subsequently cryo-trapped at the front of the GC injection port using the GC Cryotrap at a temperature of -70 degrees C. After the 5 minute desorption period, the Cryotrap was heated to 200*C to elute the volatiles and begin the GC analysis and identification via the mass spectrometer.
Results and Discussion
Nine different office products including white out correction fluid, black magic markers, rubber bands, scotch tape, adhesives from envelopes, notepads and labels as well as white and yellow carbon copies were analyzed by "Direct Thermal Extraction" to identify and compare the volatile organics present. These office products were found to contain a wide variety of compounds ranging from the aromatic compound benzene to aldehydes, siloxanes and phthalates (Figs. 3, 5, 7-9). Numerous substituted benzenes and hydrocarbons were also identified (Figs. 2, 4, 6, 8-10). Although several of the same volatiles are present in some of these office products, there is significant variation in the quantities as well as the variety of volatile organics present.
The white out correction fluid, black magic markers and rubber bands exhibited a large number of volatile emissions. The white out correction fluid and rubber bands contained large quantities of straight and branched chain hydrocarbons (Fig. 2&4). In addition to several siloxanes and naphthalene, a number of substituted benzenes were found in the black magic markers (Fig. 3). Scotch tape was found to contain a very high concentration of the compound diethyl phthalate (Fig. 5) which is used as a solvent and plasticizer for cellulose and cellulose acetate-butyrate compositions.
Another common source of volatile organic compounds are adhesives. Envelope adhesives contained the compounds 2-[2-[2-methoxyethoxy] ethoxy-ethanol, 1, 1' [methylenebis (oxy)] bis-ethane and a higher molecular weight compound 11-hydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenz as well as the pleasant smelling 2-hydroxy-methyl benzoate (Fig. 6). A series of aldehydes ranging from butanal to nonanal and a number of higher molecular hydrocarbons were detected in the adhesives from white labels (Fig. 7). Additionally, N-butyl-n-butylamine, an intermediate for emulsifying agents and N, N- dibutyl-formamide, a softener for paper, were identified. The notepad adhesives exhibited the aromatic compound benzene and a series of higher molecular weight hydrocarbons ranging from pentadecane to nonadecane (Fig. 8).
Paper and paper products also are a major source of volatile emissions into the indoor air environment. Both white and yellow carbon copies contained numerous straight chained hydrocarbons (Figs. 9&10). Although samples from these carbon copies possessed many of the same compounds, each had its own distinct fingerprint chromatograph.
Conclusion
Many products which are used in the office workplace are responsible for contributing to the levels of volatiles in the indoor air environment. A large number of aromatics, hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, phenols, terpenes and phthalates are emitted from these products. Individually, the contribution from any one product may not be significant. However, the cumulative levels of emissions from these products are increasingly becoming a concern. This is particularly noteworthy in the new energy efficient contruction which minimizes air exchange due to the tight construction of these buildings. In the future, the levels and extent of the volatile organics in indoor air will come under closer scrutiny by both the public and scientific communities. The technique of "Direct Thermal Extraction" and the subsequent analysis using the Short Path Thermal Desorption System has proven to be a useful technique for the analysis of office products which are the sources of indoor air contamination.