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OPTIMIZING SENSITIVITY OF SIM MODE OF GC/MS ANALYSIS FOR EPA'S TO-14 AIR TOXICS METHOD
Citation:
Pleil, J., T. Vossler, W. McClenny, AND K. Oliver. OPTIMIZING SENSITIVITY OF SIM MODE OF GC/MS ANALYSIS FOR EPA'S TO-14 AIR TOXICS METHOD. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-91/190 (NTIS PB91233536).
Description:
Guidelines for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at ambient levels in air are published in Method TO-14 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air." To achieve the sensitivity required for sub-part-per-billion-by-volume (ppbv), determinations of VOCs, TO-14 recommends selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode of operation when a conventional quadrupole mass spectrometer is used as the analytical finish. his paper discusses the implementation of SIM mode of analysis and presents the rationale and methods for optimization of the SIM parameters for maximum sensitivity when analyzing whole air samples for trace-levels of targeted VOCs.