Quantification of Imidazole Compounds in Ambient Aerosols at Suburban and Forest Sites in Western Japan

• Main Authors: Yuji Takao, Takumi Atarashi, Takashi Kubo, Masaki Nagae, Tomoki Nakayama
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Asian Association for Atmospheric Environment 2019-12-01
• Series: Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• Subjects: imidazole compounds; methylimidazole; ambient; quantification; hplc/ q-tof-ms; ion-pairing agent; aerosol particle
• Online Access: http://asianjae.org/_common/do.php?a=full&b=11&bidx=1801&aidx=22238

Ambient aerosol particles at forest and suburban sites in western Japan were analyzed for imidazole compounds, such as 4 (5)-Methylimidazole (4-MI), 1-ethylimidazole (1-EI), 2-ethylimidazole (2-EI), and imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde (IC). The aerosols were collected on quartz fiber filters and extracted by the solid phase extraction method. The extract was analyzed by HPLC/Q-TOF-MS using an ion-pairing agent. The concentration of 4-MI in winter was higher than those in summer at the forest site; its concentration was highest among the analyzed imidazoles. The concentration of 4-MI in the suburban site was several times higher than the forest site. Anthropogenic activities, such as vehicle emissions, are considered to be the major source of 4-MI in this region.