Polymer-mediated extraction of the fluorescent compounds derived by Hantzsch reaction with dimedone for the sensitive determination of aliphatic aldehydes in air

An extraction method based on the thermo-responsive precipitation of a water-soluble polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) [PNIPAAm], was applied to the concentration of dimedone (5,5-dimethylcycrohexane-1,3-dion) derivatives for the highly sensitive determination of aldehydes in air. Aliphatic aldehydes including formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propanal, 1-butanal, 1-heptanal, and 1-hexanal in air were well solubilized into the aqueous solution of dimedone and ammonium acetate by mixing the solution and air sample in a polyvinyl fluoride bag. Fluorescent derivatives of aldehydes that had formed by the Hantzsch reaction with dimedone were concentrated by polymer-mediated extraction. The recoveries of the fluorescent compounds increased with increasing the carbon number of aldehyde and were more than 80% for the derivatives from aldehydes having more than three carbon atoms under the optimal conditions. Microgram per m(3) (sub-ppb) levels of the aliphatic aldehydes, propanal, 1-butanal, I-heptanal, and 1-hexanal, in ambient air were successfully determined by HPLC separation with fluorometric detection. The sampling volume and time required were only 11 and 20 s, respectively. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.