| Abstract |
The ozone reference measurement principle and calibration procedure, promulgated in 1971 and amended in 1979, is based on detection of chemiluminescence resulting from the reaction of ozone with ethylene gas. When ultraviolet (UV) absorption photometric analyzers were first approved as equivalent methods in 1977, they gained rapid, almost universal acceptance. Today, users have their choice of many approved UV instruments from several manufacturers. The analytical principle is based on absorption of UV light by the ozone molecule and subsequent use of photometry to measure reduction of the quanta of light reaching the detector at 254 nm. The degree of reduction depends on the path length of the UV sample cell, the ozone concentration introduced into the sample cell, and the wavelength of the UV light, as expressed by the Beer-Lambert law. Any ozone analyzer used for routine ambient air monitoring must be calibrated against a suitable ozone primary standard or a secondary standard directly traceable to a primary standard. However, the chemiluminescence method is not problem-free. |
